<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Blast from the Past 5: New Divide by louisethatcher5</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29375463">Blast from the Past 5: New Divide</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/louisethatcher5/pseuds/louisethatcher5'>louisethatcher5</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Blast from the Past [7]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Lego Ninjago</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Drama, Family Drama, Romance</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 06:14:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>53,973</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29375463</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/louisethatcher5/pseuds/louisethatcher5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It's a new start for the ninja team with a new villain and new challenges. Will Jay lead the team to victory or will everything fall to pieces like it always does? </p>
<p>Book 5 in the Blast from the Past series (Please read books 1, 2, 3 and 4 first)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Cole and Ben, Nya/Jay Walker</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Blast from the Past [7]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2157759</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Love Story</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was around midday in Ninjago, the sun was shining bright. It was mid-summer, exactly 9 months after the funeral. </p><p>The city had been quiet, with a few crimes here and there but nothing the police department couldn't handle. The ninja team were rather bored.</p><p>The school holidays had also approached, meaning children were out playing for long hours of the day. Outside of the mansion, many people and cars went by but it was also rather peaceful. They were lucky to be on the outskirts of the city rather near the city centre. </p><p>Not much had happened in the past few months. The team were trying to cope with the loss of Ben, which they were dealing with much better now. They redecorated the mansion, but still leaving some of Cliff's old furniture. Jay and Nya shared a room. Kai, Lloyd and Zane shared and Cole was by himself. Wu and Misako had bought the house next door, leaving the team with their own space but they spent most of their time in the mansion anyway.</p><p>But they weren't there right now. Instead, there were more important things going on. Not missions. Not travel. </p><p>Far, <em>far </em>away from the City was Ignacia, the place where Kai and Nya had grown up. The trees were a beautiful shade of red and orange, their usual colours during the summer. The grass was neatly cut, a slight cold breeze in the air. White chairs were set out in rows, cute little blue bows on them, small bouquets of blue flowers on the chair at the end of each row.</p><p>Guests, dressed in formal clothing, were sat down in the seats, ready for the ceremony to start.</p><p>After a few minutes more of waiting, the door to Four Weapons opened and Jay and Ed came walking out. The guests smiled at them as they wandered down the aisle. They reached the end and stood, facing the row of guests. Jay stood up straight, holding onto the bottom of his tux. </p><p>"How are you feeling son?" Ed asked quietly.</p><p>"Nervous," Jay giggled a little.</p><p>Ed faced his son and placed his hands on his shoulders.</p><p>"Just think within the next hour, you'll be married," Ed smiled.</p><p>Jay nodded, "I'm just so scared of messing up my vows."</p><p>"Listen to me, you've got this. Who cares if you mess up? You're getting <em>married</em>, Jay. This is going to be one of the best days of your life," Ed told him.</p><p>Jay took a deep breath, "Yeah, maybe I'm just overthinking things."</p><p>"You're having second thoughts?" Ed frowned.</p><p>"No, no! Of course not! I just..." He laughed a little, "I'm just so nervous."</p><p>"You've got this, son," Ed smiled at his son before going to sit down in his seat on the first row. He sat down beside Maya. </p><p>Jay nodded, taking another deep breath. He had been waiting for this moment for months and he couldn't be more excited. He was <em>marrying </em>the girl of his dreams. </p><p>Before he knew it, the doors to the Blacksmith's shop opened again, spotting Lloyd. He smiled as he watched his friends slowly walk down the aisle in their smart suits. Lloyd was first and waved at his mother as he went past. Zane was next, followed by Cole, who was holding the rings. The three boys wandered up to Jay, standing to the right of him. Cole stood the closest to him, showing him the rings.</p><p>"I haven't lost them yet," Cole joked. Jay chuckled.</p><p>"Excited?" Lloyd questioned.</p><p>Jay nodded and looked at his brother, "You okay?"</p><p>Cole was feeling a little queazy about the wedding since he was wearing the ring that Ben had proposed to him with. Sure, they weren't actually engaged, but it definitely felt like it now. But Cole wanted to desperately be there for his brother on his big day. </p><p>"Yeah," Cole replied.</p><p>"Don't bail on me, kay?" Jay smiled.</p><p>"Now why would I do that?" Cole questioned, grinning.</p><p>"Guys, look," Zane pointed at the shop. </p><p>Everyone directed their attention to the open door <em>again </em>to see the Bridesmaids heading their way. One by one they made their way down the aisle just like the groomsmen had done just a few moments prior. </p><p>First to walk down was Hayley, followed by Libber, Tox and Jessie. Nya would've originally wanted Skylor to be her Maid of Honour but since she wasn't around anymore, she chose Hayley. Needless to say, she was very happy with who was chosen. </p><p>A few moments after, the doors opened once again with both Kai and little Riley stood there with baskets in their hands. Kai took Riley's hand and they began walking down the aisle together. They reached their hands into their baskets a few times, and throwing white petals around. Everyone laughed, not expecting Kai to be one of the flower girls. They reached the end and split off. Riley stood between Libber and Hayley, grinning.</p><p>Kai stopped in front of Jay, a smile on his face.</p><p>"I was always so hard on you when it came to Nya and that's only because I was protecting her from evil. But you... you are far from evil. You're the ray of light she needed in her life. Thank you," He told Jay.</p><p>Jay smiled, hugging Kai. They pulled away just as the doors opened for the last time and the traditional wedding music played. Jay felt his heart race as he spotted the most beautiful girl he had ever laid his eyes on. </p><p>Her hair was tied up in a messy bun, a small blue flower in her hair alongside her long veil. Her dress was amazing and so was the bouquet of blue flowers in her hands. </p><p>Jay and Nya's eyes locked, Nya smiling. Jay was in complete shock. He tried his best to keep his cool. It was like nothing else in the world mattered but her. His heart leaped as her and her father walked down the aisle slowly, the guests standing up and taking pictures. Jay felt tears in his eyes as he remembered that she was <em>his </em>and only <em>his</em>. It was like the world had stopped spinning just for them. </p><p>Ray and Nya stopped at the end of the aisle, in front of the groom. Jay tried his best to dry his tears, trying to hold more back. Everyone chuckled at how emotional Jay was. </p><p>"Take care of my daughter," Ray smiled.</p><p>"I promise. With my life," Jay replied.</p><p>Ray nodded and let go of his daughter's hand, letting Jay take it instead. Nya handed Hayley her bouquet of flowers and walked round so that she was facing her fiancé. Ray took his seat next to his wife and watched in awe.</p><p>"Are you two ready?" Wu, the officiant, asked them.</p><p>They both nodded, not taking their eyes off each other. </p><p>"Dear friends and family, we are gathered here today to witness and celebrate the union of Jay and Nya in marriage. In the years they have been together, their love and understanding of each other has grown and matured, and now they have decided to live their lives together as husband and wife," Wu began.</p><p>Jay's heart raced. He could barely focus on what Wu was saying. </p><p>"True marriage is more than simply joining two persons together through the bond of matrimony. It is also the union of two hearts and the blending of two families. It lives on the love you give each other and never grows old, but also thrives on the joy of each new day. Marriage is, and should be, an expression of love. May you always be able to talk things over, to confide in each other, to laugh with each other, to enjoy life together, and to share those moments of quiet and peace, when the day is done. May you be blessed with a lifetime of happiness and a home of warmth and understanding," Wu continued, "You may now speak your vows."</p><p>Jay took a deep breath, "Ever since the day I first met you, I haven't been able to get you off my mind. I tried so many times to ask you out but chickened out like I usually do. Then I turned to Kai for help, which was one of the biggest mistakes I've ever made."</p><p>The other ninja, including Nya, laughed, remembering how Kai had deliberately given him perfume instead of cologne. </p><p>"You were the one who taught me to be myself. You helped me reach my true potential. And when you left me I..." Jay glanced down at the floor, gathered himself and looked back at Nya, "I felt lost. And then everything with Nadakhan happened and you never left my side. You are <em>the </em>most beautiful person I've ever laid my eyes on and I am so <em>so </em>grateful to call you mine."</p><p>Nya took a deep breath, thought for a moment and began her vows too.</p><p>"I always thought that true love was fake. That people were making it up. And then I met <em>you</em> and my life changed. The moment I looked at you was the moment I realised that you will always be the one for me. I was an idiot to go behind your back with Cole. It was the biggest mistake of my life. No offence Cole," Nya spoke.</p><p>Cole smiled, "None taken."</p><p>The guests chuckled, including Jay. </p><p>"Jay, you are the most kind hearted, sweetest, most adorable people I know. And you are so <em>so </em>freaking brave. After everything you've been through, you've managed to stay positive and have always been here when we needed you. I can't imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone other than you," Nya explained.</p><p>There was a moment of silence before Wu finally continued with his part of the ceremony.</p><p>"Do you, Nya Smith, take Jay to be your lawfully wedded husband, promising to love and cherish, through joy and sorrow, sickness and health, and whatever challenges you may face, for as long as you both shall live?" Wu asked Nya.</p><p>"I do," Nya nodded, putting the ring on Jay's ring finger.</p><p>"And do you, Jay Walker, take Nya to be your lawfully wedded wife, promising to love and cherish, through joy and sorrow, sickness and health, and whatever challenges you may face, for as long as you both shall live?" Wu asked Jay.</p><p>Jay smiled, putting the ring on Nya's finger, "I do."</p><p>"And now, by the power vested in me, I hereby pronounce you husband and wife. Jay, you may now kiss your bride," Wu beamed.</p><p>As Jay wrapped his arms around Nya's waist, she placed her hands on his cheeks and pulled him into a passionate kiss, linking them together forever. </p><p>"Or the bride can kiss the groom," Wu shrugged, chuckling. </p><p>And with that, the crowd started cheering and clapping for the young couple. Jay's heart raced. He was surrounded by the people closest to him, his brother by his side, and kissing the girl of his dreams. What else could he ever ask for? He hadn't been this happy in months. </p><p>Being with Nya made him so <em>so </em>happy. The love and appreciation from her really helped him cope with the world and made him feel so special. He truly loved her. His <em>wife.</em></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Always, I'll care</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After the ceremony, everyone walked across the field to where the tables had been set up. There were blue flowers on the white table cloths, since their favourite colour was blue. Jay and Nya were sat at their table, the other ninja by their sides. This was the event they needed to bring the team together again. </p><p>Ray spent most of his time looking at Jay and how he acted around his daughter. Since he didn't know him very well, he wanted to keep a close eye on him. He was known to be a good person but didn't take others' opinions over his own. Yet he didn't see a single ounce of evil in him. He seemed like a genuinely nice person. </p><p>Ed, Libber, Wu, Sabrina, Lou and Misako were all sat on a table together. They would not stop chatting and it was annoying some of the other more distant guests. Riley was sat with her parents on a table near the front too. Jay and Nya sat quietly listening to the other guys at the table chat for ages. They enjoyed the company. Jay had his arm wrapped around Nya, keeping her safe. Even though he felt like the day was going to go smoothly, he didn't want to take any chances of his new <em>wife </em>getting hurt. </p><p>The table went quiet for a moment, Kai glancing over at the newly wed couple.</p><p>"Aw look at you two, husband and wife," Kai smiled.</p><p>"Come on man, that just makes it sound weird," Lloyd joked.</p><p>"I'm glad you two are married. You have been through a lot together," Zane spoke.</p><p>"It's a shock how I'm able to put up with him," Nya teased.</p><p>"Hey," Jay replied sadly.</p><p>Nya laughed, as did everyone else at the table. Jay smiled. This was the best day of his life. It was the day he had dreamed of ever since he could remember. But he never thought anyone would love him let alone <em>marry </em>him. It was all so surreal. </p><p>"So what are you gonna do now that you're married?" Cole wondered.</p><p>"Do I sense any <em>children</em>?" Kai winked.</p><p>"Woah there buddy," Jay sat back, breaking eye contact with everyone.</p><p>"I sense not," Nya replied, folding her arms.</p><p>"Yeah Kai, don't you think it would be too soon for that?" Cole questioned.</p><p>"I'm just saying," Kai shrugged.</p><p>"Just because we're married now, Kai, doesn't mean we have to do the... <em>y'know</em>," Jay replied.</p><p>"It doesn't?" Nya frowned.</p><p>"I- uh- no," Jay said awkwardly, trying not to upset his wife.</p><p>"Don't worry baby, I was just kidding," Nya giggled and kissed him on the cheek, which caught him off guard. Jay giggled cutely, making Nya blush. </p><p>"Aw that's so cute," Zane smiled at the couple.</p><p>For the next 20 minutes, Cole sat there awkwardly, listening to the conversation. He hadn't said anything for a while and even though no one really noticed, Jay was still a little concerned for his brother.</p><p>"Cole, you okay?" He wondered.</p><p>Cole glanced up with a smile on his face. He nodded.</p><p>"You sure?" Jay questioned.</p><p>"One hundred per cent," Cole replied.</p><p>Jay knew that he wasn't okay. He knew that this wedding was only reminding him of Ben and he didn't blame him for being upset. Just because it was Jay and Nya's wedding didn't mean that Cole couldn't talk about his feelings. It only worried Jay.</p><p>"So is everyone ready for Cole's totally awesome speech?" Kai smiled.</p><p>"I know I sure am," Nya sat up in her chair properly.</p><p>"You ready Cole?" Lloyd asked.</p><p>Cole nodded without a second thought. He stood up and picked up a glass and a spoon off the table. It was traditional, yes, but it was the best way. He gently tapped the spoon on the side of the glass, catching everyone's attention slowly but surely.</p><p>"Everyone listen! My son is gonna make a toast!" Lou shouted. </p><p>Cole smiled. By then, everyone was looking at him. He glanced around at all the guests, his throat suddenly becoming tighter.</p><p>"I- um..." He stuttered, struggling to remember his speech.</p><p>He quickly reached in his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper on which he had written his speech down on. He opened up the crumpled paper and began reading over it again. But when he tried to read the words, he couldn't. His vision became blurry and he began to panic. His breathing became heavier and was struggling to think. </p><p>"Cole?" Zane whispered, worried about his friend.</p><p>Without thinking, Cole quickly handed the glass and spoon to Kai.</p><p>"Sorry, I-I can't do this," Cole stated before rushing off into the distance.</p><p>"Cole!" Jay exclaimed, standing up from the table and watching his brother run away. The guests began muttering and exchanging looks of confusion.</p><p>"Should we go after him?" Kai asked, also standing up.</p><p>Jay tried to make his way around the table before Lou stood up from his table and head an arm up to the groom.</p><p>"I'll go," Lou told him before running after his son. Jay stood there awkwardly watching them both run off into the distance. There wasn't anywhere they could go since they were in the middle of a field but there were a few bushes trees to hide behind. </p><p>"I don't think that's gonna end well," Kai muttered, sitting back down.</p><p>Jay made his way back to his seat and shrugged.</p><p>"We have to at least trust Lou will be supportive no matter what it is," Zane replied.</p><p>"If it's got something to do with Ben, which it most likely is, Lou will not be supportive and I think we all know that," Kai told them.</p><p>"Hopefully he can help Cole," Jay sighed, "That's why I wanted to go."</p><p>"I'm sure they'll be okay," Nya told her husband with a small smile. Jay took a deep breath and nodded.</p><p>Cole ran and ran, his eyes slowly filling with tears. He felt so guilty.</p><p>Not only had he ruined the speech for his brother's wedding but he had only been thinking of himself the whole time. Every time he looked at Jay and Nya, he only pictured Ben and himself. It had been almost a year and he still wasn't over him. </p><p>The thought it would be so easy to get over someone. He had watched so many movies and tv shows where they could get over them in weeks. But it had felt like forever since Ben had left the world and Cole was still hanging onto him. There had been many times when Cole wanted to visit Ben's grave but he just could never bring himself to do it. It hurt too much.</p><p>As much as he tried to put the past behind him, he couldn't. Every time he thought he was over Ben, the memories of them together came flooding back. It was like he was being dragged down. It was like this huge tsunami was coming his way and instead of killing him, he spends hours trying to swim back up to the surface yet nothing works and obstacles get in his way.</p><p>Nothing was working. </p><p>And no matter how many times he asked people for help, they never helped. He was constantly told that things will get better. He was constantly told that he'll find someone else. Yet there was no one else out there. And they <em>never </em>got better. Everything reminded him of his love. <em>Everything</em>. Writing that speech was hard enough but reading it out in front of all those people only hurt more. It only reminded him of <em>Ben.</em></p><p>He ran into a nearby field and hid behind a tall bush, hoping no one would find him. Hoping no one would follow him and try and give him some pathetic pep talk that meant absolutely nothing. He was sick of people feeling sympathetic. He was sick of people trying to help. </p><p>He fell to his knees, his head in his hands. He sobbed and sobbed for what felt like forever. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even hear the constant calling for his name approaching.</p><p>"Cole?" </p><p>Cole glanced up for a brief moment, spotting his father stood there with a worried expression on his face. </p><p>"What happened? Are you okay?" Lou asked, concerned.</p><p>Cole shook his head, "Dad..."</p><p>"Son," Lou's eyebrows creased with worry as he sat down beside his son. He wrapped his arms around him, Cole gently held onto his father's shirt, crying into his shoulder.</p><p>"Dad, I can't do it," Cole cried, "I-I miss him."</p><p>Lou felt his heart sink. Even though he wasn't too keen on the idea of his son dating boys, he still wanted to be there for his son. But how?</p><p>Cole pulled away from the hug, looking his father in the eyes. Lou raised a thumb and wiped away his son's tears. Not that it was any use because they just kept falling.</p><p>"He wouldn't want you to be upset," Lou said softly.</p><p>"I know but... how am I supposed to not be sad? He was the love of my life... he was my <em>everything</em>..." Cole muttered.</p><p>Lou tried so hard to think of the right things to say. The last thing he wanted was to make things worse.</p><p>"I can't live without him, dad," Cole cried quietly.</p><p>"Hey, yes you can," Lou caught his son's attention, "What have you been doing for the past 9 months? You've been breathing, haven't you? You <em>can </em>live without him. Sure, it'll be hard but I promise that it'll get easier over time."</p><p>"Everyone says it'll get easier yet it only gets harder. The longer I go without him, the more I miss him. I just want him to be here. I just want to be able to feel him again," Cole replied sharply.</p><p>"Y'know, it wasn't that easy when I thought your mom had died. I thought my entire world had ended. But then I remembered I have all my friends, my family, <em>you</em> to help get me through it. If you keep locking away your feelings, it will never get better. And don't tell me that no one ever tries to help because I know for a fact that Jay does," Lou explained, "If you let others help, if you  tell others your feelings, you will feel better. No one is asking you to get over Ben, oh god no, we're just trying to be there for you. </p><p>Cole stayed silent, less tears falling. He knew for a fact that his dad hated him for dating Ben but to know that he was there for him no matter really made him feel better. Whether he meant it or not, his dad was speaking true facts and he couldn't deny it. He was keeping all his feelings bottled up.</p><p>"Why are you even helping me? You hate me for being gay remember?" Cole questioned.</p><p>"No, Cole, I don't hate you. Sure, I may not like the fact that you're gay but you're also my son and I will <em>always </em>be here when you need me. And to be honest, it was wrong of me to misjudge both you and Ben. You were good together and I should've realised that before. It'll take some getting used to but I'm willing to give it all a chance, okay? You being gay is just another interesting part of you, Cole," Lou replied.</p><p>"Really?" Cole frowned.</p><p>Lou nodded, "I'm sorry."</p><p>Without saying another word, Cole wrapped his arms around his father and held onto him tight. Lou sat there awkwardly for a moment before hugging him back.</p><p>"Thanks dad," Cole murmured.</p><p>"Anything for you, my son," Lou smiled.</p><p>After another few minutes, Cole managed to regain himself and they both headed back to the others. The guests hadn't really noticed them return but the ninja definitely had. </p><p>"Cole," Jay stood up, a worried tone of voice, as they approached.</p><p>Cole turned to his father, who put a hand gently on his shoulder and smiled as he headed back to his table. Cole took a deep breath and headed back to his friends. He returned to his seat and glanced out at all the guests for a brief moment.</p><p>"You okay?" Kai asked.</p><p>"You rushed off," Zane seemed worried.</p><p>"Yeah, I'm all good," Cole smiled.</p><p>"Are you sure? You can take some time out if you want or you can head home if it's too much or-" Jay suggested.</p><p>"No. This is your wedding, Jay, there's no way in hell that I'm leaving," Cole replied, "And, I'm so sorry for ruining everything. I just... struggled."</p><p>"You don't need to apologise. I know it's hard for you. You don't have to make the speech if you don't want to," Jay told him.</p><p>"Thanks, Jay," Cole gave him a smile, which he returned.</p><p>Jay then sat back in his chair and wrapped an arm around his wife. Nya glanced up at him with a smile.</p><p>"I am so glad that I get to call you mine forever," He beamed, "Ain't no one stealing you from me."</p><p>Nya chuckled, "I will always be yours, my sweet bluebell."</p><p>Nya reached over and pressed her lips against Jay's.</p><p>"Woah, woah, there's children here, y'know," Kai joked, covering Lloyd's eyes.</p><p>The young couple pulled away, laughing. Lloyd pouted as Kai removed his hands.</p><p>"For once, something finally didn't go wrong," Zane smiled. </p><p>"Now, now, Zane-a-doodle, don't jinx it," Jay laughed.</p><p>"I don't know about you guys but I'm hungry," Kai groaned.</p><p>Jay and Nya looked at each other, smirks on their faces.</p><p>"Does that mean.... cake?" Cole grinned, sitting forward.</p><p>Jay nodded, a bright smile on his face. </p><p>Even though somethings may not have gone to plan, it was still a perfect day and he was so <em>so </em>relieved and happy to be married to the girl of his dreams. They may still have been young but their love was undeniable. Everyone could see that. </p><p>And now they were both officially...</p><p>
  <em>Jay and Nya Walker.</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. High Hopes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It had been a few hours since the team returned from the wedding. They had stayed to help clean up and took their dragons home, Nya sat on Jay's dragon instead of her own. </p><p>The wedding had been a success. Not only were Jay and Nya now a married couple, but it had definitely brought everyone together. Nothing went wrong, well except for Cole's speech of course, but that didn't really bother anyone. It was only bound to be a soppy few sentences that would leave both the couple and the brother in tears, which no one was prepared for. But nevertheless, everyone really enjoyed it, especially Jay and Nya.</p><p>Everyone had gotten changed and were now getting ready for a movie night together. Lloyd and Zane were setting up the film in the main room, Nya was sorting out the cushions and pillows, Kai was dealing with snacks and Cole was still in his room. </p><p>After what had happened earlier, he was still feeling quite guilty for messing up his speech. It was going to be special but he just couldn't bring himself to speak it aloud. He knew for a fact that Jay was upset with him but decided to shake it off since it was their special day and didn't want to start more drama. </p><p>But now, he was sat in his bedroom at his desk, trying to write a sorry note to his brother. He had been trying for hours and only kept scrunching the paper up into a tight ball and throwing it all the wall. There was now a pile of about 20 balls of his failure. Everything he wrote just didn't seem to cut how sorry he was. He just desperately hoped that Jay would accept his apology.</p><p>Cole was in the middle of writing when all of a sudden, he spotted the one thing he didn't need to think about right now. He glanced over at the picture frame of him and his dead love. That picture had been taken ages ago. They were hugging but the expression on their faces made Cole's heart melt. As he looked at Ben's overjoyed innocent face, he smiled. </p><p>He was never able to put it into words how amazing Ben was and how much he meant to him. But he only wished he had said it all now. He hated himself for letting Ben go with Jake alone. He hated himself for leaving him. He hated himself for not getting to the hill faster. If he had, he could've saved him, or even said a proper goodbye. But instead, he found him <em>dead</em>. </p><p>And all he wanted now was to be able to hold Ben in his arms again. Cole was such a strong person but when he was around Ben, he was so different. Ben was his one and only weakness. </p><p>Cole gently picked up the photo frame from the desk and looked over it again. A tear shed from his eye, slowly making its way down his toned face and dropping onto his black tank top. He clutched onto the picture tightly and pulled it to his chest, closing his eyes as more tears fell.</p><p>"Please come back to me," He cried softly.</p><p>Another few minutes passed before he heard a loud knock at the door. He jumped slightly, putting the picture back on the desk, face down, and drying his eyes and cheeks. He cleared his throat, picked up his pen and called for whoever it was to enter.</p><p>The door soon opened, Cole's back to it. </p><p>"Hey," A familiar male voice spoke from behind.</p><p>Cole turned his head to see his brother stood there with a smile.</p><p>"You okay?" Jay asked, stepping in.</p><p>Cole nodded, "Yeah, what's up?"</p><p>"I was wondering if you have time to chat before we watch the movie?" Jay wondered.</p><p>Cole thought for a moment before nodding again. Jay came in and closed the door behind him. He sat down on Cole's bed and sighed.</p><p>"Is everything okay? For someone who just got married, you seem pretty gloomy," Cole spun around on his chair, facing his brother.</p><p>Jay shrugged, "I've been thinking... for a few months, about going back to counselling with Jessie."</p><p>"You have?" Cole questioned.</p><p>Jay nodded and smiled awkwardly, "I think we can all agree that I need to."</p><p>"Yeah..." Cole muttered.</p><p>"I was just wondering... would you come with me?" Jay asked sweetly.</p><p>Cole frowned, "You were fine with going by yourself before. You don't need me for moral support."</p><p>"No," Jay giggled a little, "I mean, would you come counselling with me? I just really think that it would help you and-"</p><p>"Jay," Cole sighed, glancing down at the floor.</p><p>"You aren't yourself, Cole," Jay pointed out.</p><p>"I don't need counselling," He responded.</p><p>"Trust me, Cole, it really helps. We can do it together," Jay encouraged him.</p><p>Cole sighed. He hated talking to people about his feelings on a daily basis but to have to talk to someone he barely knew or trusted was a completely different story. Why would he tell a complete stranger all his deepest thoughts and feelings?</p><p>"Jessie is a really great counsellor and I just think that if we do it then-" Jay continued, ranting a little.</p><p>"Jay, I really don't want to," Cole spoke up, trying to stop his brother.</p><p>"It'll really help us to get some stuff off our chest, especially with-" He rushed.</p><p>"Jay," Cole sighed, catching the younger boy's attention, "I get that you're trying to help me but counselling really isn't my thing."</p><p>"I know but if you just give it a shot-" He began again.</p><p>"Jay, why can't you get that I said no?" Cole was beginning to get frustrated. He did appreciate his brother looking out for him but the fact that he wasn't respecting what he wanted just made him angry. </p><p>"But after everything with Ben, I just-" </p><p>"Don't bring Ben into this," Cole snapped, his frustration taking over.</p><p>"Cole, I-" Jay stuttered.</p><p>"I've told you not to bring Ben up," Cole scoffed.</p><p>"I didn't mean to," Jay cut in.</p><p>"I don't care! You're supposed to respect my decisions and now that I don't want to do something that you want to do, you bring my dead boyfriend into the conversation?! How low can you be?!" Cole shouted.</p><p>Jay fell speechless. He was only trying to help his brother and now he felt like a complete jerk. He never meant to bring Ben into it but now that he had, he regretted even bringing up the counselling in the first place. He thought that Cole would've loved it but he actually felt the complete opposite. </p><p>"You know how much Ben means to me and so you use the fact that he's dead against me?! That's so disrespectful!" Cole huffed, "Y'know what? I know exactly why you're acting this way. It's because you've got everything you ever wanted. You've got Nya. You're married now. Well guess what, I still have nothing. I don't have anyone. Ugh, I thought you were on my side, Jay!"</p><p>"I am!" Jay replied.</p><p>"Well clearly you aren't," Cole rolled his eyes.</p><p>"Cole-" Jay tried to cut in but Cole interrupted him before he could say anything more.</p><p>"Just get out," He sighed.</p><p>"Cole, please just let me explain," Jay pleaded.</p><p>"I said get out!" Cole yelled.</p><p>Jay fell silent again, getting up and leaving the room, closing the door behind him. Cole, who was still sat in his chair, buried his head in his hands for a moment, trying to hold back his tears. He never thought Jay would do such a thing. Jay was supposed to be supportive, not a colossal jerk. </p><p>After a few minutes, Cole sat in his chair properly and picked up the picture, that was still facing down on the desk, and looked over it.</p><p>"No one understands," He sighed, shaking his head in slight disgust.</p><p>After leaving Cole's room, Jay wandered down the corner quickly and towards the front door. He felt like such an idiot. Well, more than an idiot actually. Why had he done that? Why did he bring up the <em>one thing </em>Cole didn't want to talk about? The <em>one thing </em>that hurt him the most?</p><p>Jay was trying his best to hold back his tears. He just wanted to get out of the way. He just wanted Cole to be happy and he couldn't be if he was still around. Just as he was wandering past the kitchen, Kai stepped out, stopping him in his tracks.</p><p>"Where are you off to?" He questioned.</p><p>"Let me past," Jay spoke quietly, not making eye contact.</p><p>"You're ditching us? What for this time, bluebell?" Kai joked, "Video games? New Star Farer comic?"</p><p>"Please, just let me go," Jay muttered angrily.</p><p>Kai frowned, "Jay? You okay?"</p><p>Kai loved teasing Jay since he was younger, shorter <em>and </em>was now his brother-in-law. But he genuinely seemed stressed about something and it concerned him.</p><p>"I'm fine," He murmured before shoving past the fire ninja and towards the front door, which was just down the other end of the corridor. </p><p>Kai grabbed the back of Jay's shirt and pulled him back, "Not so fast, motormouth. What's got you so rialed up?"</p><p>Jay stared at the floor, quietly biting his lip.</p><p>"You know you can talk to me, right?" Kai told him.</p><p>Yes, Jay may have had so many other people he could talk to first such as Nya or Cole but that didn't mean the hothead wasn't there for him. He was his <em>crush </em>after all.</p><p>Jay sighed, "I messed up. Big time."</p><p>"What did you do?" Kai raised an eyebrow and folded his arms at the smaller boy.</p><p>"I was talking to Cole about going back to counselling and suggested that he come with me. I was trying to give him reasons why and he just kept telling me that he didn't want to. I didn't listen and I accidentally brought up Ben and... ugh," Jay buried his head in his hands.</p><p>Kai sighed. Jay didn't even need to say anything for him to understand what happened. </p><p>"He snapped, didn't he?" Kai questioned, already knowing the answer.</p><p>Jay nodded, soft cries could be heard from his covered face.</p><p>"Hey, hey, don't cry, it's okay," Kai told him calmly, pulling him into a hug. Jay removed his hands from his face and wrapped them gently around the fire ninja.</p><p>"I just feel like a complete and utter jerk. I never meant to hurt him, I just-" He stopped, crying into Kai's shirt.</p><p>"You were just trying to help him, Jay," Kai replied, gently rubbing circles on his back.</p><p>"He was right about me. He was right about me being selfish because I have Nya and he has nothing," Jay sniffled.</p><p>"Woah," Kai pulled away, holding onto Jay's shoulders, "What?"</p><p>Jay gently held onto Kai's arms, a confused look on his pale face.</p><p>"He said that?" Kai frowned.</p><p>Jay nodded, "But he was right. I shouldn't have been so disrespectful."</p><p>"No, I'm not letting him pick on you like that. Once before, never again. He needs to learn his place," Kai let go of Jay, turning around and beginning to storm down the corridor.</p><p>"Kai, wait! Stop, please!" Jay chased him.</p><p>Kai stopped dead in his tracks and turned to the lightning ninja, "Nothing you can say is gonna stop me from storming in there and sorting him out."</p><p>"Why do you even care so much?" Jay frowned.</p><p>"Because...because," He stuttered, "Because I do, okay?!"</p><p>Jay watched him storm back down the corridor and towards Cole's room. Something was bound to go down in there and Jay didn't want to be around to witness it. He just knew that Cole would flip. </p><p>But he was still so confused? Why did Kai care? Why would he ruin such a great friendship with Cole just to help <em>Jay? </em>Cole was right, wasn't he? It made no sense to him but he was determined to find out why.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Broken</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Oi, you," Kai shouted as the door flung open.</p><p>Cole jumped in his seat and spun around to see the angry fire ninja stood in the doorway with his hands in fists by his side. Cole frowned, confused as to why Kai was in his room.</p><p>"Jeez, every heard of knocking?" Cole muttered under his breath.</p><p>"What the hell?!" Kai yelled, his eyes almost setting on fire, metaphorically of course.</p><p>"What?" Cole raised an eyebrow, certain that it was another one of Kai's angry pranks. </p><p>"Don't <em>what</em> me. You know what you did," Kai snarled.</p><p>"I'm so confused, you're gonna have to explain to me exactly what I did," Cole shrugged.</p><p>The look on Kai's face only became more frustrated, leading Cole to believe that something was really bothering him and it wasn't just a trick. But he also had a bad feeling about this.</p><p>"Picking on Jay like that?! You think that's right?! You think picking on someone younger than you is acceptable?!" Kai questioned angrily.</p><p>Cole rolled his eyes, "So he must've told you what happened then. Look, I wasn't picking on him. I was just giving him a good talking to. He's gotta start thinking about others rather than-" </p><p>"Don't even go there, Cole. Do NOT start talking s**t about Jay, especially behind his back. Besides, he's not the one that's in the wrong here. You are," Kai huffed.</p><p>"How am I?! Please, oh please, explain to me why Jay is so innocent in all this," Cole replied with a sarcastic tone.</p><p>"I shouldn't need to explain it to you! You really want to know why Jay is '<em>so innocent'?" </em>Kai questioned.</p><p>"Yes," Cole nodded and sat forward in his chair.</p><p>"Jay was only looking out for you, Cole. He was trying to do something nice to help you and you shouted at him because he brought up your dead boyfriend?!" Kai exclaimed.</p><p>Cole glanced down, gritting his teeth.</p><p>"And, yes, I know we said to not bring Ben up, but I genuinely don't care right now because you need to know your f**king place," Kai added.</p><p>Cole stayed silent, not looking the red ball of anger in the eyes. </p><p>"Jay isn't the one being selfish here, Cole. You are. Yes, I know you've been through a lot. We <em>all </em>know that but just stop thinking about yourself and think about Jay too. Imagine how he must be feeling. He's lost so much more than you have, Cole and instead of being there for him, you shout at him? That's f**ked up. First everything with Nadakhan, feeling like he'd lost everyone that he ever cared about, then Ben came along and messed everything up, losing you, all that crap with his mental health and then losing both his birth dad and his mother, and not to mention his unborn child... Why do you think that shouting at him for trying to help <em>you </em>even though everyone should be helping <em>him </em>is a good idea?!" Kai shouted.</p><p>Cole had to admit, Kai did have a point. And as much as his brain was telling him to argue back with things that probably weren't even relevant to the topic, his heart was saying the complete opposite. It was true; Jay had been through so much more. And now instead of helping him through it, Cole was blaming him for something that wasn't even his fault. </p><p>Kai stepped closer to Cole and crouched down so that he was practically in his face. </p><p>Kai pointed a finger in his face, "Jay has always been willing to help you even though he's gone through so much s**t and as soon as <em>you</em> lose someone, you turn your back on him? That's low, even for you. Jay is an incredible person and deserves a much better brother than you."</p><p>Cole gritted his teeth. He had always <em>hated </em>people being in his personal space. The only people he ever really let into his little bubble were Jay and Ben, but now he felt like that bubble had been destroyed all because of Kai's anger. And it only frustrated Cole. His heart pounded, his brain telling him to do one thing and one thing only. But the boy tried his best to refuse. </p><p>"You need to learn your f**king place on this team, Cole, because you sure as hell aren't doing what a ninja is supposed to do," Kai snarled.</p><p>Just as Kai opened his mouth to say something else, a fist flew into his jaw, sending him flying back onto his hands. Kai quickly stood up, struggling at first, shock written all over his face. He held his jaw with his right hand and turned around to see Cole with a worried expression on his face.</p><p>"Dude, what the hell?!" Kai yelled.</p><p>"Kai, I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to!" Cole panicked.</p><p>Out of anger, Kai stormed out the room and down the corridor towards the main room. Cole already knew what was going to happen and didn't want to risk anything bad happening. He had already hurt his brother and now Kai too? What was he going to do? What was going to happen? Would he get kicked off the team? Kicked out of the house? </p><p>He couldn't think of what to do but there was this one thing circling around in his mind. He didn't want to but... he needed to. It was the only thing he could do right now. </p><p>After a few minutes, Kai returned to the room with the rest of the team, still holding his jaw a little. Zane was the only one that didn't go as he had headed off to get an ice pack for the fire ninja. </p><p>As they entered the room, with the door still wide open, Kai stormed in, hoping for Cole to get a good talking to but instead, he was no where to be seen.</p><p>"Cole?" Lloyd frowned.</p><p>"I thought you said he was in here," Nya questioned her brother.</p><p>"He was!" Kai exclaimed.</p><p>Jay glanced around the room quickly, spotting glass scattered around in the right corner of the room by the bed. He looked at the window, noticing it had been broken. A cold breeze caught everyone's attention. The lightning ninja rushed over to the glass, careful not to step on it.</p><p>"The window's broken," Lloyd pointed out.</p><p>Jay glanced back up at the broken window pane again, narrowing his eyes at it.</p><p>"I'm not surprised he fled," Kai rolled his eyes.</p><p>Zane entered the room and handed Kai the ice pack, which he placed on his jaw, which was bound to bruise. </p><p>"He knew he was in the wrong," Kai huffed.</p><p>"What is it?" Nya approached her husband, noticing he was staring at the window in a weird way.</p><p>"The window," He pointed at it, "He must've broken it with his fist."</p><p>"How do you know?" She asked, frowning.</p><p>"Look," Jay tried to get a bit closer, pointing at dark red spots dotted around where the broken pieces and cracks were, "Blood."</p><p>"That means he's injured," Lloyd stepped forward.</p><p>"Well we have to go looking for him," Jay spoke up.</p><p>"Leave him," Kai rolled his eyes,</p><p>"We're not just leaving him out there all alone, Kai," Jay responded.</p><p>"Oh please, he deserves it. Besides, he's a ninja, he can handle himself," Kai put a hand on his hip.</p><p>Jay looked back at the window and at the spots of blood with a worried expression. Nya placed a hand on his shoulder.</p><p>"He couldn't have gotten far," She told him with a reassuring smile.</p><p>Jay nodded, "Nya, Lloyd and I will go look for him. Kai and Zane, can you clean this up before someone gets hurt, please?"</p><p>"Why should I have to clean up <em>his </em>mess?" Kai complained.</p><p>Everyone turned to Kai with an annoyed expression, in which he sighed and gave in.</p><p>Jay, Nya and Lloyd headed out of the room and outside to try and find where Cole had gone. It was most likely going to be much harder than he though since it was already late but Jay was determined to not give up. He wanted to find his brother and make sure he was okay. </p><p>But <em>was </em>he okay? </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Believe</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was reaching morning, the sun was beginning to rise. The trees slowly swayed in the breeze, creating a gentle brushing sound. It was rather relaxing. A few people were wandering through the streets of the city, a couple of cars here and there, but nothing more. It was calm.</p><p>But the only thing or <em>person</em> that wasn't calm was the lightning ninja.</p><p>He and Cole had gotten into an argument the evening before. Jay was only trying to help his brother out but Cole had freaked out and snapped. Kai tried to talk some sense into him yet Cole didn't like the fact that his personal space had been invaded so he punched the fire ninja in the jaw without thinking. Out of panic, he fled, leaving a rather worrying mess in his bedroom which he had previously shared with his boyfriend.</p><p>Now, Jay, Nya and Lloyd were out searching for the master of earth. They had been looking for almost 6 hours yet still hadn't found anything around. After searching almost the entire city, they were beginning to give up. They split up, hoping to cover more ground at around 11 pm last night. They contacted each other through their radios but they didn't really have much to tell each other. Not only would it have been harder to spot Cole since it was dark, but he was also a pretty fast runner so he could've been long gone by the time they started searching.</p><p>Kai wasn't so keen on finding at first but as time went by, he was starting to worry about his friend. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, he had always been pretty close to Cole. They were great friends. No matter how many times the fire ninja reminded himself that the earth elemental was strong, he couldn't help but feel an empty pit in his stomach. The last thing he wanted was for him to be hurt. And it was <em>his</em> fault.</p><p>Jay sighed as he continued turning corners, looking down alley ways, and asking random people if they had seen him anywhere. He was still having no luck but was determined to not give up.</p><p>He was now slowly walking down a street towards the city centre, huge bags under his eyes.</p><p>"Jay?"</p><p>Jay gasped and spun around quickly, hoping to see his brother behind him. Instead, he spotted his also rather tired wife down the other end of the road. He sighed and approached her, a sad look on his face.</p><p>"You find anything?" She wondered.</p><p>"I was gonna ask you the same thing," Jay responded.</p><p>"I don't think Lloyd has had any luck either," She shrugged.</p><p>"What are we gonna do?" He groaned.</p><p>"To be honest, I think we should just head back. Cole will turn up again, I know it," She told him.</p><p>"You can go back if you want but I'm gonna keep looking," He replied.</p><p>"Jay, you're tired, you need rest," She folded her arms.</p><p>He shrugged, "I'm not gonna give up looking. He's my brother and he could be hurt."</p><p>"Cole is strong. He'll be okay," She reassured him.</p><p>"I need to keep looking. I don't want anything to happen to him," He told her.</p><p>"Jay, seriously," She stated sternly, raising an eyebrow at him.</p><p>"You may want to stop looking, but I won't. Cole means a lot to me and if he's hurt, I want to find him as soon as possible. I'll see you back home," Jay responded and continued walking the way he was before, leaving Nya stood there awkwardly.</p><p>She sighed. Jay had always been stubborn when it came to caring about others, especially Cole. But he really did need sleep.</p><p>Back at the mansion, Kai and Zane had just finished cleaning up Cole's room. Zane replaced the window carefully, whilst Kai looked in the mirror at the large bruise on his face.</p><p>"And there we go," Zane smiled, "All fixed."</p><p>"My jaw isn't," Kai rolled his eyes.</p><p>"I'm sure he didn't mean to hurt you, Kai," Zane told him.</p><p>Kai huffed, "Well he did, didn't he?"</p><p>"He must've felt bad since he ran away," Zane stated.</p><p>"No, that's just an excuse to run away from his problems. He knows what he did was wrong," Kai rolled his eyes.</p><p>Zane sighed and left the room, leaving Kai on his own. He quickly glanced around the room before spotting the pile of scrunched up pieces of paper. He wandered over to them and picked one up, skimming over it a little.</p><p>
  <em>Dear Jay, I would like to apologise for-</em>
</p><p>He picked up another which read: <em>To Jay, I am so sorry for ruining the speech today, I-</em></p><p>They all pretty much said the same thing, just a different variation of words. Kai felt terrible. He was trying to write a sorry note to Jay for what had happened at the wedding. Sure it didn't give him any right to freak out at him yesterday but at least he was trying to do something nice. Maybe Kai had gone too hard on him.</p><p>He put the paper back down on the floor and headed over to the desk, spotting a photo frame lead face down. He frowned as he picked it up and glanced down at it. It was a picture of Cole and Ben. Kai smiled, remembering how close they had been. Now he felt <em>really</em> bad.</p><p>Just as he went to put it back down on the desk properly, the front door of the mansion knocked, causing Kai to jump a little. He stepped into the hallway, looking for Zane. When he couldn't find him, he headed to the door and opened it, expecting to see Cole or something.</p><p>Kai's eyes widened at the sight of a boy with messy brown hair and light green eyes. He really wasn't expecting <em>him</em> to be at the door.</p><p>"What are you doing here?" Kai questioned.</p><p> </p><p>On the other side of Ninjago, somewhere past the forests and wastelands, lied a small village. It was a quiet place with their very own mayor. It was still dark out when a boy with black hair entered the village. Pretty much everyone was asleep, most lights out except for the street lights.</p><p>He slowly approached a house at the far end and took a deep breath before raising his hand and knocking. He waited a few minutes before the door finally opened.</p><p>"Cole?"</p><p>"Hey Seliel."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Stand by you</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"There doesn't seem to be any serious damage," Seliel spoke up after a minute.</p><p>The two teens were sat at the dining table of Seliel's house in the village of Nom. Cole was sat opposite her whilst she cleaned up his hand and wrapped it in a bandage.</p><p>"You're just lucky that I got all the glass out before it became infected," She told him after placing the bloody wet paper towel in a bowl of warm water.</p><p>"Thanks, Sel," Cole replied.</p><p>She glanced up at him with a smile, "What are friends for?"</p><p>Cole returned the smile before looking down at his hand, which was now wrapped in a thick white bandage. Who knows when that could come off.</p><p>"What are you doing <em>here</em> anyway? We haven't seen each other in years and now you just decide to turn up with a messed up hand? I sense something fishy is going on here," She sat forward.</p><p>Cole stared at the floor for a moment, "If by fishy I hope you mean you can smell that tuna sandwich I had yesterday..."</p><p>Seliel frowned, "What happened?"</p><p>"I was a jerk, as usual," He replied, glancing up a little.</p><p>"That's not who you are, Cole," She stated quietly.</p><p>"I know," He responded.</p><p>"They're changing you," She murmured.</p><p>Cole quickly looked up, a look of guilt on his face, "They're not. I just... I'm changing myself..."</p><p>"Then tell me what happened," She sat back in her chair, waiting for an explanation on why he had turned up at her home all of a sudden.</p><p>Cole sighed and thought for a moment. He knew he could trust her. They used to be really good friends. But they did have some history together so he didn't know if he could physically trust her or not.</p><p>"Jay tried to speak to me about getting some help with him. Y'know... speaking to a councillor. It's never been my sort of thing so I told him no. He continued to go on about it and then he mentioned Ben and-" He began.</p><p>"You snapped," Seliel finished.</p><p>Cole nodded, "I didn't mean to... I was really harsh on him. He must've told Kai because he came to deal with me and... everything he said made sense. Kai was right; I was being selfish. Jay was only trying to help me, I shouldn't have shouted at him."</p><p>"That was quite a jerk move," Seliel muttered, "But that doesn't explain what happened to your hand."</p><p>Cole sighed, "Kai got into it too much and got right in my face. I don't want to use it as a good excuse but you know how I get when my personal space is invaded..."</p><p>"You punched him, didn't you?" She questioned.</p><p>He nodded, "I didn't mean to. I wanted to apologise but he ran off and I panicked. I knew he would tell the others and I didn't know what else to do so I broke the window and I came here. If I had gone to any family or friends, they would've looked there. They don't know about you so..."</p><p>"Okay, one, you broke a window with your bare hands, which is pretty stupid of you," Seliel began, "And two, yeah you're here to get away but meanwhile, they're probably worried sick about you."</p><p>"They're probably busy partying," Cole looked down at his hands.</p><p>"I doubt it. And even if they were, then what kind of friends would they be?" She questioned.</p><p>Cole shrugged, "I just couldn't deal with it."</p><p>"You couldn't deal with the consequences of your own actions? You may not have meant it but you still did it, and you still hurt people," Seliel told him sternly, "Running away is probably one of the stupidest things you have ever done."</p><p>"Oh trust me, I've done worse," Cole rolled his eyes a little.</p><p>"Jay's your brother, he'll be looking for you," She stated.</p><p>Cole sighed, "I can't face him right now. I can't face any of them."</p><p>"Look at me," She demanded.</p><p>Cole glanced up at her, a stern look in her eyes. He could tell she was about to snap at him. She always pulled that face before she did. Or at least she used to.</p><p>"You need to stop worrying about people in your past and care more about the people that are still here. You never know when you could lose them. Loss is hard, believe me, I know. When I lost my dad a few years ago I didn't know what I was doing. But you need to be there for those who need you," Seliel told him, "You've been through a lot, Cole, I get that, but start thinking about Jay too. He's been through so much worse than you have. He needs the support right now and instead of backing him up and helping, you shout at him instead? Yes, that makes you a jerk, but instead of repeating yourself over and over, why don't you stop being a jerk and go home and help your brother who is probably dying to find you."</p><p>Cole fell silent. He'd never seen her like this before. Even when they were dating all those years before he had become a ninja, he had never expected her to snap like this. It kind of freaked him out in a way but mostly surprised him. But no matter what he thought, he knew that she was right. She was <em>always</em> right. He was only thinking of himself <em>again</em>.</p><p>Seliel sighed as Cole looked down at his hands, tears in his eyes. She gently took his hand in hers.</p><p>"I can't imagine what losing Ben was like for you. But sooner or later, you're gonna have to let him go," She told him calmly.</p><p>He nodded and sniffled, "I know. I'm just so scared of losing him for good."</p><p>"You've already lost him, Cole," She sighed.</p><p>He let go of Seliel's hand and dried his tears, "You're right. I-I need to move on."</p><p>"Look, you can stay here if you want to but only for a few days; just whilst things calm down. But you have to call Jay and make sure he knows you're okay," She told him.</p><p>Cole smiled a little, "Thanks, Sel. I don't know what I'd do without you."</p><p>"I'll go set up the guest room whilst you call Jay, kay?" She questioned.</p><p>Cole nodded as he watched her leave the room and close the door behind her quietly. He took his phone out his back pocket and searched through his contacts for Jay's number. As it began to ring, he put it to his ear and waited.</p><p>Within a few seconds, the ringing stopped and someone was shouting down the other end.</p><p>"COLE?! COLE IS THAT YOU?! ARE YOU OKAY?! WHERE ARE YOU!? ANSWER ME PLEASE!"</p><p>"Jay, Jay, calm down," Cole snickered.</p><p>"WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING?! THIS ISN'T FUNNY! WHERE THE HECK ARE YOU?!" Jay shouted.</p><p>"Don't worry, I'm okay, I'm just at a friend's house," He told his brother.</p><p>"Which friend?" Jay questioned, worry in his voice.</p><p>"Her name is Seliel. She lives in Nom," He replied.</p><p>Jay breathed a sigh of relief, "Oh thank goodness. Are you hurt? The window was smashed and-"</p><p>"It's nothing. I hurt my hand a little but luckily Seliel cleaned it up," Cole stated.</p><p>"So you're okay?" He wondered.</p><p>"Yes, I am," Cole responded.</p><p>Jay breathed another sigh of relief, "I thought you got seriously hurt or worse... I didn't know where you were or-"</p><p>"I'm really sorry, Jay," Cole sighed.</p><p>"Why are you sorry? What are you gonna do? Cole, promise me you won't do anything! I love you! Please!" Jay panicked.</p><p>"Jay, chill, I only wanted to apologise for what happened yesterday," Cole frowned.</p><p>"Oh... heh... sorry. I guess I'm just really on edge with this kind of stuff after what happened to my dad," Jay tried to calm himself, "But why do you need to apologise?"</p><p>"Because what I did was wrong. To both you and Kai. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. I should've been supportive instead. I'm so sorry. And I definitely shouldn't have punched Kai. It's just that-" He began.</p><p>"He got up right in your face," Jay finished.</p><p>"Yeah..."</p><p>"Don't worry about it. Kai might have a nice bruise on his jaw though," Jay snickered a little.</p><p>Cole smiled, "I don't think Kai would appreciate you laughing at him."</p><p>"Oh well," Jay replied, stopping himself from bursting out into fits of giggles.</p><p>"Are you okay? I mean... are <em>we</em> okay?" Cole asked after a minute.</p><p>"Yeah, don't worry about it. I have to admit, I was being pretty pushy. I should've stepped back when you first said no," Jay admitted.</p><p>"You were just trying to help. And now that I think about it... maybe going to counselling together wouldn't be such a bad thing. After speaking with Seliel, I've realised that you, too, need support and that I need to start moving on from my past," He explained.</p><p>"By your past, do you mean...?" Jay questioned.</p><p>"Ben. Yeah," Cole spoke quietly, trying his best to hold back the tears.</p><p>"You really want to give counselling a try?" Jay questioned, a happy tone of voice.</p><p>"Yeah. It might be tough at first since it isn't really my sort of thing but I'll do it for you," Cole smiled.</p><p>"That's amazing! But, if after the first meeting, you don't like it or don't feel comfortable then you don't have to go again," Jay told him.</p><p>Cole nodded, "Thanks Jay."</p><p>"So are you gonna come back?" Jay wondered.</p><p>Cole thought for a moment before replying with, "I'm gonna be staying with Seliel for a few days, just whilst everything calms down. Is that okay?"</p><p>"Y-yeah... of course. Just as long as you're okay. I don't want you getting hurt or anything," Jay spoke, his voice shaky.</p><p>Cole frowned, "Jay?"</p><p>"Hm?"</p><p>"Are you alright? You seem... off," Cole asked.</p><p>"Yeah... I'm just worried, that's all. I'm really on edge I guess. I don't want to lose anyone else," He replied quietly.</p><p>"You won't lose me, I promise," Cole smiled.</p><p>Jay was quiet for a few moments. The earth ninja could hear something in the background like footsteps or something. The wind was also a little loud.</p><p>"Where are you?" Cole wondered.</p><p>"Outside. I'd been looking for you since late last night. Well, Nya and Lloyd were too but I think they went home to rest," He responded.</p><p>"You seriously searched for me all night?" Cole questioned, a little shocked.</p><p>"Yeah, why wouldn't I?" Jay asked.</p><p>"Even though you have no idea what creeps would be out at that time of night?" Cole frowned.</p><p>"You're my brother. I had to make sure you weren't hurt," Jay replied with a smile, or at least it sounded like he was smiling.</p><p>Cole grinned. He honestly thought no one would care that he had gone. Maybe he took Jay for granted. He was a good brother.</p><p>"Hey," Jay spoke sternly.</p><p>"What is it?" Cole frowned.</p><p>"Kai just texted me. Apparently someone showed up at the house this morning," Jay replied.</p><p>"Who?"</p><p>"Rowan."</p><p>"Rowan?" Cole raised an eyebrow, "What does he want?"</p><p>"Who's Rowan?" Jay questioned.</p><p>"The guy who bullied Ben all those years ago," Cole explained, "Or at least that's what Ben told me. Apparently Rowan was causing trouble with him and Kai months ago."</p><p>Jay groaned, "Great. More drama. Just what we need. I better go and see what's going on. Can I call you later?"</p><p>"Sure. I'll make sure to pick up straight away," Cole smiled, "Whatever Rowan says, don't take it seriously. He's probably just trying to cause trouble, okay?"</p><p>"Thanks Cole. Just call me if you need anything, and I mean <em>anything</em>, kay?" Jay replied.</p><p>"Yep, see you soon," Cole told him before hanging up. Talking to Jay made him feel so much better, especially to know that he didn't hate him. It made a huge difference. Maybe things would finally look up for Cole again now that he was going to try and move on from Ben. But he wasn't sure about Rowan... What trouble would he try and cause this time? Whatever it was, it couldn't be good.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Back to you</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Cole put his phone back in his pocket, took some deep breaths, practised smiling for some random reason, and it was great timing since Seliel had just finished setting up the guest bedroom and was heading back downstairs.</p><p>Within a few minutes, she opened the door to the dining room to find Cole tiding up the bowl of warm water, which was most likely cold now.</p><p>"Oh you don't have to do that," She told him.</p><p>"Nah, don't worry about it. I already intruded in your home, the least I can do is clean up after myself," He gave her a reassuring smile.</p><p>"Hm," She smiled suspiciously at him, "You seem happier. I'm guessing the phone call went well then."</p><p>"It actually went <em>very</em> well," Cole smiled.</p><p>"Great," She smiled, approaching Cole who was now in the kitchen cleaning up the bowl and putting it away.</p><p>Cole glanced at her with a smile. They hadn't really seen each other in a while so it was nice to be able to catch up again.</p><p>"So how have things been since I left?" Cole wondered, looking into her turquoise eyes.</p><p>"Well... different, that's for sure. It was quiet. But nothing really happened. Well except dad passing away," She smiled awkwardly.</p><p>Cole placed a hand on her shoulder, "I'm really sorry, Sel. I know he meant a lot to you. If you ever need to talk about it, I'm here for you, kay?"</p><p>Seliel smiled, a light pink forming on her cheeks. Cole pretended not to see it but knew he couldn't just <em>not</em> see it. He sensed that she would still have feelings for him but he kinda hoped that she wouldn't after all these years. They still messaged each other, not very often, but they still did. He just assumed that she would've moved on. He definitely had.</p><p>"Did you wanna watch a movie or something together? We have the whole day free. Well actually we have almost everyday free since there's nothing to do around here," She giggled.</p><p>"It depends if you've got any good movies to watch though," Cole smiled.</p><p>She smirked, "I have our old favourite movie. Barbie in the Nutcracker."</p><p>Cole scrunched his face up, "Oh come on, Sel, we were seven. I haven't watched barbie movies in years."</p><p>"But it would bring back some old memories, wouldn't it?" She teased.</p><p>"No," He whined jokingly, "Like... the guy who voices the nutcracker... ugh his voice is so annoying."</p><p>
  <strong>(This is obviously a joke. It's supposed to be funny because Kirby (VA of Cole) also voiced the nutcracker in the barbie movie lmao. He did a great job at it might I add!)</strong>
</p><p>"Come on, you'll love it," Seliel beamed.</p><p>"I dunno," He smiled nervously.</p><p>Seliel inched closer to Cole a little, making subtle movements. Cole did feel a little uncomfortable but didn't want to say anything.</p><p>"It'll be fun. Just you and me," She glanced up at him with an innocent look.</p><p>Cole stayed quiet, an awkward smile on his face as she continued to inch closer. After a moment, she leaned forward, her eyes closed and her lips puckered slightly. Cole stepped back and around her.</p><p>"Sorry, I can't," He spoke awkwardly, his heart aching.</p><p>"Oh come on, Cole," She rolled her eyes, "You did say you wanted to move on, didn't you?"</p><p>"Yeah, I did but that didn't mean I wanted to get with someone, especially my <em>ex</em>. Besides, I'm gay. Y'know... that means I only like guys," Cole explained, annoyance in his voice.</p><p>"Well you could've told me that at first," She folded her arms.</p><p>"Why should I need to? Surely anyone with a brain wouldn't try and kiss someone that is still mourning over their dead boyfriend," Cole snapped.</p><p>"Why are you getting angry with me?!" She exclaimed.</p><p>"Because you're acting as if <em>I'm</em> the bad guy! You can't just <em>kiss me</em>, Seliel. That's not how it works," Cole told her.</p><p>"Well then how <em>is it</em> supposed to work?" She questioned.</p><p>Cole opened his mouth to speak but his phone suddenly buzzed in his pocket. He took it out as Seliel rolled her eyes. He read over the messages on the screen, his eyes widening.</p><p>"What?" She questioned.</p><p>"I need to go," He stated quickly.</p><p>"What do you mean 'you have to go'?" She frowned.</p><p>Cole stepped forward and showed her the messages on the screen. They were all from Jay.</p><p>
  <em>Cole, you need to get over here NOW</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I know why Rowan was here</em>
</p><p>
  <em>It's an emergency</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Seriously, you need to come</em>
</p><p>
  <em>It's important</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Cole, come NOW please!!!</em>
</p><p>"Well stop standing around and go then," Seliel sighed.</p><p>"I'm really sorry, Sel. Maybe we can meet up another time. Just only if you promise not to kiss me. I've moved on from you..." Cole told her awkwardly.</p><p>Seliel nodded with a smile, "I'd like that. Sorry for being an idiot. Just go."</p><p>Cole smiled at her before rushing out the door. When he got outside, he formed his earth dragon and flew off into the distance, Seliel watching out the window. She sighed as he went out of sight. She had longed for so many years to see him again and be with him but now it was impossible. <em>She</em> needed to move on too. She at least wanted to be friends with him.</p><p>Cole flew all the way back into the city. It took about 10-15 minutes by dragon so it wasn't that far. It obviously had taken him longer to walk to Seliel's, especially with his bloody hand. He quickly jumped off his dragon and ran inside the mansion, ready to be met with some sort of danger. He sprinted through the front door, practically slammed it, and rushed down the corridor, looking through every room to see where everyone was.</p><p>He found everyone sat in the main room, Rowan too. He stopped dead in the door way, looking at everyone with a concerned look. They all looked completely stern and serious. They all turned to look at him, a smile on Jay's face.</p><p>"I'm so glad you're okay," Jay smiled, getting up and walking over to his brother.</p><p>Jay quickly wrapped his arms around his brother but Cole didn't hug back. Jay pulled away after a moment, a frown on his face.</p><p>"Are you okay?" Jay questioned.</p><p>"You panic texted me. And why is <em>he</em> here?" Cole glared at Rowan, who glared back jokingly.</p><p>"Oh, yes, I almost forgot," Jay smiled, "We have a present for you."</p><p>"Present?" Cole frowned, "You told me it was an emergency."</p><p>"It is. Or at least I think it is," Jay beamed, "Come on, I'll show you."</p><p>Cole raised an eyebrow as Jay grabbed his hand and pulled him out the corridor. The others in the room smirked at each other. Rowan smiled for the first time in what felt like forever.</p><p>Jay pulled Cole down the corridor and towards the earth ninja's room, which was the only bedroom on the bottom floor. They stopped outside, the door closed of course.</p><p>Jay turned to his brother with a smile, "Open the door."</p><p>"Why do I feel like this is a prank?" Cole raised an eyebrow.</p><p>"It's not, I promise," He snickered.</p><p>"You always say that before you prank me," Cole replied.</p><p>"Trust me, you won't be disappointed. Just open the door," Jay told him, grinning.</p><p>"I don't trust you," Cole stated.</p><p>"Ugh, Cole, just open the damn door," He groaned.</p><p>"Fine, fine," Cole reached for the door handle.</p><p>He hesitated at first. He turned back to look at Jay, who was still smiling. He was still suspicious and was pretty sure that it was a prank but even if it was, he'd give Jay the benefit of the doubt and open the door anyway.</p><p>He pulled the door handle down and slowly opened the door, staring at the floor first so the prank wouldn't frighten him too much. He let go of the door, pushing it open all the way. Jay was stood very close behind him, trying to look over his shoulders as best he could.</p><p>Cole glanced up, his eyes locking on the 'present' Jay had left for him. Shock filled his face, his body unable to move. His hands were shaking a little, his heart pounding.</p><p>"Jay... if this is a prank, it is nowhere close to being funny," He spoke quietly, his voice shaking.</p><p>"Not a prank. It's very real," Jay smiled, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder.</p><p>Cole didn't take his eyes off the teenage boy that was stood at the other end of the room, staring back at him with a smile. He had short messy brown hair and the most beautiful green eyes he had ever seen.</p><p>"B-Ben?"</p><p>"Hey," He replied happily, trying to hold back his tears.</p><p>"A-Are you actually h-here...? T-This isn't a dream? Y-You're here?" Cole stuttered, a tear falling down his cheek.</p><p>The boy nodded, tears also falling down his cheeks.</p><p>"I'm really here, Cole," He beamed, holding his arms out for Cole.</p><p>Cole hesitated to move forward, certain that he was just dreaming. He didn't want to believe it but he did at the same time. Was Ben <em>actually</em> there?</p><p>"Go on," Jay whispered to his brother, "Go get him."</p><p>Cole glanced at Jay out the corner of his eyes, took a deep breath and moved slowly towards his boyfriend. As he approached closer and closer, he could feel the touch of Ben's hands as he took his arms and pulled him closer to him, little by little.</p><p>Ben held onto Cole's arms gently, a smile on his face as tears fell down both the boys' faces. Cole smiled and slowly raised a hand. He touched Ben's face with a single finger first, actually feeling the touch of him. He then cupped the side of Ben's face with his left hand, smiling as he could finally feel his soft skin again.</p><p>They stayed like that for a few moments before Cole quickly wrapped his arms around him, Ben doing the same. Jay watched from the doorway, the others soon joining him. Cole hugged him tight, finally feeling the happiness he had been looking for for months.</p><p>"I-I missed you so much," Cole cried, "I thought you were gone. You left me. You-"</p><p>"I'm here now, baby, okay? I will always be here for you. I will always love you," Ben replied, gently brushing his fingers through Cole's thick black hair.</p><p>"I love you so much. I was such an idiot. I always was. I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left you with him. I should've stayed. I should've been with you. I-"</p><p>"It's not your fault. Don't ever blame yourself, Cole," Ben responded calmly, tears still falling.</p><p>Cole couldn't stop himself from crying. He had longed for so many months to be able to hold Ben in his arms again and now that he was here, it didn't feel real. It all felt like a huge dream. But if it was just Cole's imagination, why was it torturing him so much?</p><p>"I was so desperate," Cole cried, "I just wanted to hear your voice again... I just wanted to hug you again..."</p><p>"I'm here now," Ben gave him a soft smile as they pulled away from the hug. Cole gently held onto Ben's arms as Ben raised his hands and cupped his boyfriend's face.</p><p>"B-But how do I know this isn't a dream? How do I know I'm not just imagining you?" Cole sniffled.</p><p>Ben smiled and glanced down at Cole's left hand. Cole frowned and looked down, staring at the ring Ben had given him almost a year ago.</p><p>It was glowing a light orange, Cole looked at it for a moment and looked back at Ben, who was smiling.</p><p>"Why is it... glowing?" Cole questioned.</p><p>"It's kitsune magic," He replied.</p><p>"Y-You're doing that?" Cole wondered.</p><p>Ben nodded. Cole smiled as he looked back at the glowing ring. As the glow died down again, his face fell. He then stepped back a little, raised a hand and smacked Ben on the arm.</p><p>"Ow!" Ben screeched, holding onto his arm with a frown on his face, "Dude, what was that for?!"</p><p>"For making me think you were dead!" Cole shouted.</p><p>"Hm... I guess I deserved that," Ben muttered.</p><p>Cole smiled a little before hugging Ben again. His tears eventually stopped falling, realising that this definitely <em>wasn't</em> a dream. Ben was really there. After all this time, he knew Ben would come back to him and he did. But how?</p><p>"I was such an idiot before. Losing you made me realise so much. I took you for granted. I should've said yes to your proposal. I haven't taken the ring off since you left," Cole told him, mid hug.</p><p>Ben frowned and pulled away from the hug.</p><p>"Wait what?"</p><p>Cole looked worried, "Did I say something wrong?"</p><p>"You told me you weren't ready for marriage," Ben reminded him.</p><p>Cole smiled nervously, "I know but losing you... it just made me miss you more I guess."</p><p>Ben thought for a moment before smiling, he took Cole's hands in his and looked into his dark brown eyes.</p><p>"So... why don't we get married?"</p><p>Cole's eyes widened, "W-what?"</p><p>"We're both here. And you said that you wanted to get married, right?" Ben shrugged.</p><p>Cole turned his head to glance at the others, who were still in the doorway. Smiles were plastered across their faces. Jay nodded discretely. Cole looked down at the floor for a moment and turned back to Ben.</p><p>"I know that it wouldn't be the same but-"</p><p>"I'd love to," Cole beamed.</p><p>"Really?" Ben's eyes lit up.</p><p>Cole nodded quickly, the smile on his face getting bigger. Ben began to laugh from joy.</p><p>"Yay!" Jay exclaimed as everyone started cheering.</p><p>Cole was overjoying. Ever since he found Ben lying dead on that hill, he knew he had made the mistake of saying no. But now that Ben was actually there, why not get married? His dad would most likely be supportive now too.</p><p>Cole placed his hands on Ben's cheeks and pulled him into a passionate kiss which felt like it lasted forever. He wasn't dreaming. Ben was finally in his arms again. Ben was finally all his.</p><p>But that didn't explain how he was here. How was he alive? Was it a kitsune thing? Only time would tell. Or a really detailed explanation.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Credit to @/Eleanor98815752 on twitter for the Kitsune magic ring thingy idea</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. All we know</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter (and probably a few others after this) will contain things such as suicidal thoughts and self harming. Nothing is specifically said, such as the words itself, but is spoken about very discretely. If you don't deal well with that kind of stuff, you have been warned.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The past few days had been rough. There was a quite a lot of confusion and emotion but they all decided to take a little time before everything about Ben was explained. No one knew how he was back.</p><p>Ben and Cole had headed off to bed, Ben obviously sharing the room with his <em>fiancé</em> again. Jay and Nya obviously shared a room too. The others had their own rooms. The others, however, were in the living room playing uno and Jay had wandered off to his bedroom alone.</p><p>Now, he was silently sat on the be, staring down at something in his hands. He was so happy to have all his friends and family around him but there was just something still on his mind.</p><p>When Cole had called him early this morning, he had said the words <em>'I'm really sorry, Jay'</em> and Jay, of course, panicked. After everything that happened with his father, he was still really on edge. Cole probably wasn't in a good place and Jay dreaded the thought of him doing <em>y'know</em> too. But he'd been thinking about it a lot.</p><p>Even the thought of his father taking his own life made him shiver. It made his heart ache. He hated to think about it but sometimes he just couldn't get it out his head. If Cliff hadn't been murdered, he would've-</p><p>I don't even have to finish that sentence.</p><p>Jay missed him. He missed him more than anyone could ever know. Cliff had left an empty space in his heart. Sure, he made bad choices in his past but all he wanted right now was to be with his father; to be able to laugh and joke around with him again.</p><p>The master of lightning glanced back down at his hands. He was clasping onto a memory stick tight, his eyes filling with tears.</p><p>Months ago, when Jay had went to visit his mother, she had handed him a small blue memory stick. She had said that the Police Commissioner found it on Cliff's person when they searched the body. Apparently she had watched the video on it, which was meant for Jay.</p><p>She had given him the memory stick to keep so that he could remember his father by yet Jay still hadn't watched the video. He couldn't bring himself to do it. But now... he felt like he needed to. He wanted to feel closer to his father again.</p><p>Jay wandered over to the nightstand and picked up his laptop. He sat back on the bed, his legs crossed and placed the laptop in front of him. He put the memory stick in and waited for it to upload to the computer. After waiting a few minutes, on screen popped up a video. It was completely a black screen with a small play button in the middle.</p><p>He took a deep breath before clicking the play button and sat there and waited for the video to start.</p><p>The black screen quickly changed and Cliff was sat in the middle of the screen. He looked like a mess. His hair was scruffy, his clothes were dirty, the bags under his eyes could carry a months worth of grocery shopping. Jay's eyes immediately filled with tears, a small smile creeping onto his face. The sight of his father made him so happy. He longed to see his face again.</p><p>"Is this thing on?" Cliff's croaky voice spoke, frowning at the camera.</p><p>Jay chuckled, remembering how he had tried to teach him how to turn a camera on when he was still around.</p><p>After playing around with a few buttons, Cliff sat down on the muddy grass and sighed.</p><p>"Jay... my son..." He began sadly.</p><p>Jay felt his heart break. Hearing his father say his name again was enough to tip him off the edge. A single tear fell down onto his favourite blue hoodie.</p><p>"I've made so many mistakes... one of which was keeping this all a secret from you. I should've been a better father. I should've been there for you when you needed me," Cliff sniffed, trying to hold back his tears.</p><p>"No," Jay shook his head, "You were always here for me..."</p><p>"If I hadn't done all that stuff to you... if I hadn't tried to hurt you... none of this would've happened. I could've taken care of you. I'm such an idiot..." Cliff cried, burying his head in his hands.</p><p>More tears fell down Jay's cheeks. He hated seeing his father like this, even if it was just a video. An <em>old</em> video. But it still broke him to pieces.</p><p>"I'm such a bad person and I'm a terrible father... This guilt... this guilt is killing me. I know you hate me. I know both you <em>and</em> Cole hate me. And I just... I can't live knowing that I could've been better... I could've been a better father to both of you. To Hayley too..." Cliff cried quietly.</p><p>Hearing his father talk about Hayley really did mean a lot to Jay. Cliff had never mentioned Hayley before. And he knew there would be confusion. But Jay was glad to hear her name in this video as well as Cole's.</p><p>"But I will never, <em>never</em> be able to take back what I did. And even if you ever did forgive me, I wouldn't be able to get it out of my head. You have the right not to forgive me and you had every right to send me away. None of this is your fault... it's all my fault and I need to pay for my stupid actions," He continued.</p><p>It's true, Jay had sent Cliff away but for good reasons. Jay never wanted it to take a huge toll on his father's mental health, and that was why he felt guilty for what happened. He knew his murder wasn't his fault, and his decisions had nothing to do with Jay but he could've forgiven Cliff. Jay saw how much he had changed and cared about his son yet he still sent him away.</p><p>"I know this is never the best way to do things... but I have no other choice... I can't bring myself to go back home. I can't get help. Nothing. <em>I'm really sorry, Jay</em>."</p><p>And there it was. That sentence again.</p><p>"But just know that... I never meant to hurt you. I regretted what I did straight away. I've always loved you and I always will," Cliff finished before smiling at the screen a little and switching the camera off.</p><p>Jay had never felt this guilty before. Not only was Cliff upset and disappointed about his own actions but he ended his own life because he was lonely. He had no one there for him. That could've been Jay.</p><p>All this time, Jay had been telling himself it wasn't his fault; everyone had been saying it. But all this time it <em>had</em> been. Well at least partly anyway.</p><p>Jay tried his best to calm himself down as he took the memory stick out his laptop and placed it down on the bed. The realisation of his father being gone still hadn't really hit him. But it was coming slowly... very slowly.</p><p> </p><p>Cole and Ben had eventually joined the rest of the team in the main room and played the game of uno with them. They were having such a good time that they had completely forgotten about Jay. Well not <em>forgotten</em> him completely but forgotten that he wasn't playing with them. They had really been looking for some sort of joy recently.</p><p>"How about..... a yellow eight!" Cole laughed, placing it down on the pile.</p><p>"Ugh, I don't have any yellows," Kai groaned, "Or eights."</p><p>"Looks like ya gotta pick up a card then, buddy," Lloyd laughed.</p><p>"Oh shut up," Kai rolled his eyes, picking up a card from the deck.</p><p>Zane was next. He scanned over his cards and silently placed a yellow two onto the pile.</p><p>"Seriously? Why did you have to play a two?" Nya complained.</p><p>"I'm sorry, I can take it back if you would like," Zane's eyebrows creased as he sunk down in his chair a little.</p><p>"Don't worry about it, Zane, she's just being stroppy again," Cole joked.</p><p>"Stroppy?" Zane frowned.</p><p>"He means she's in a mood because she's not getting her own way," Ben told the nindroid.</p><p>"Oh, okay," Zane gave Ben a small smile, showing that he finally understood the term.</p><p>"I'm not being <em>stroppy</em>," Nya shot Cole a look.</p><p>"Yes you are," Cole smirked.</p><p>"I honestly don't know why you're acting like this, Nya, you've never won one of these games anyway," Kai teased his sister.</p><p>"You better take that back," Nya sat forward, glaring at her brother.</p><p>"Not a chance," Kai grinned, also sitting forward.</p><p>"Okay, okay," Zane raised his arms, creating a wall between the siblings, "Can we please just get back to the game?"</p><p>"I dunno, Zane, I'm quite enjoying this," Ben smiled, sitting back in his chair and folding his arms.</p><p>"Look everyone, it's Jay," Lloyd pointed out.</p><p>Everyone turned to look at the doorway to the main room, spotting Jay stood there awkwardly. He looked like he had just been hit by a truck. There were tear stains all over his blue hoodie. He was so slouched down that his hands were barely visible. The hoodie was already pretty big on him so it made sense.</p><p>"Hey Jay, you okay?" Cole asked.</p><p>Jay nodded and gave his brother a fake smile.</p><p>"Do you want to join in our game of uno?" Zane wondered.</p><p>Jay shook his head almost immediately, "I'll just watch."</p><p>"Are you sure?" Nya questioned.</p><p>Jay nodded and wandered in slowly, sitting on the couch behind them. Cole looked at his brother with narrowed eyes. Cole turned back to the others, who were continuing the game. Jay sat on the couch with his knees up to his chest, his arms folded a little.</p><p>"Hey," Ben whispered, trying to catch Cole's attention.</p><p>The master of earth eventually turned his head to look at his fiancé.</p><p>"Everything okay?" He muttered.</p><p>Cole nodded, "Yeah... just thinking, that's all."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Why</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"So now that we're all in the same room, why don't you explain how you're here?" Kai asked Ben.</p><p>Ben placed his uno cards down on the table in front of him and sat back in his chair.</p><p>Jay was still sat on the couch behind them, snuggled up under his favourite blue hoodie. The rest of the ninja were sat around the table they had put in the middle of the room to play uno.</p><p>"Well... it all started at Jake's house. Everything was going smoothly until I discovered a knife with my sister's blood on it," He began, "Then when he found me, I made him admit to everything. After that he-"</p><p>Suddenly, Ben was cut off by a loud crash somewhere in the mansion. All the ninja looked around, alarmed.</p><p>"What was that?" Nya questioned, sitting up.</p><p>"I have no idea," Kai whispered.</p><p>"If we're all in this room, then who made that loud noise?" Cole wondered.</p><p>"Zane, can you scan the house?" Lloyd asked the Nindroid sat beside him.</p><p>Zane nodded and silently scanned, leaving the rest of the team sat there concerned. Whatever it was, it didn't sound good.</p><p>"Nothing," Zane shrugged after a minute.</p><p>"Well it had to be something," Jay pointed out.</p><p>"Maybe someone should go check," Ben suggested.</p><p>"Good idea," Jay spoke up, "Kai, Zane and Lloyd check in the basement. Ben and Cole check upstairs and Nya and I will the rest of the first floor."</p><p>The team nodded and split up in their directions, hoping they wouldn't find someone trying to kill them again. They'd had enough of that.</p><p>Zane opened the door to the basement and led the other two down the stairs. The light was broken so they couldn't actually tell if anything was down there. Lloyd was second down, Kai following close behind. The master of fire didn't really like the dark.</p><p>As they reached the bottom, Lloyd turned to the red ninja.</p><p>"Give us some light," He told him.</p><p>Kai nodded and raised his fist, a bright flame appearing in his hand. It lit up the room and the ninja were now able to see their surroundings.</p><p>It was very quiet and cold in the basement but rather interesting. The three had never actually been down there before and didn't want to be startled by any unwanted guests.</p><p>"Do you see anything?" Lloyd whispered to Zane, who shook his head.</p><p>Zane began scanning the room, spotting nothing.</p><p>All of a sudden, a weird scraping noise came from behind the ninja. A loud squeak was heard, causing Kai to jump back behind Lloyd.</p><p>"What is it?" Lloyd questioned.</p><p>Kai shone his fire towards where the noise had come from, revealing a small mouse. It looked directly at the ninja before scurrying off through a small hole in the wall.</p><p>"It was just a mouse," Lloyd stated. Zane chuckled.</p><p>Kai cleared his throat awkwardly, "I wasn't scared."</p><p>"It doesn't look like there's anything down here," Zane pointed out.</p><p>"Hold on," Lloyd frowned, noticing a light in the other corner of the basement.</p><p>"What is it?" Kai questioned, looking over in the same direction.</p><p>The three wandered over to see a screen on the wall and it was playing a video. They exchanged looks of confusion.</p><p>"I don't believe it..." Lloyd muttered.</p><p>Upstairs on the first floor, Jay and Nya searched the kitchen. Everything was just as they left it, which was rather strange. Any loud noises in the mansion usually came from Jay dropping something since he was so clumsy.</p><p>"Found anything yet?" Nya wondered.</p><p>"Nothing, you?" He replied.</p><p>"Not a thing," She sighed.</p><p>"So what could it have been?" Jay questioned.</p><p>"Let's just hope the others have better luck," She shrugged. Jay nodded.</p><p>All of a sudden, they hear voice coming from the main room. They assumed the others had returned after finding nothing as well so they headed back in. Instead, they discovered that the TV, which had previously been switched off, was now on and playing a video.</p><p>"Is that who I think it is?" Nya frowned, glancing at her husband who was stood beside her.</p><p>Jay's eyes widened, "It can't be..."</p><p>On the upper floor, Ben and Cole made their way through each room. They also hadn't had any luck, much like the others.</p><p>"Do you really think that someone had made the noise?" Cole asked his boyfriend.</p><p>"I dunno. I recon it was just something falling off a shelf. Besides, I doubt we're gonna find anything up here. It sounded like the crash came from downstairs," Ben responded.</p><p>Cole nodded, "Yeah true. Maybe the others have found something then."</p><p>"I hope so," Ben sighed.</p><p>The two made their way to the last room of the house, Jay and Nya's bedroom. Ben opened the door and gasped, spotting glass all over the floor.</p><p>"What is it?" Cole asked, stepping around Ben and into the room.</p><p>"The window's broken," Ben pointed out.</p><p>"That must've been what we heard," Cole stated.</p><p>"You think someone broke up?" Ben frowned.</p><p>"Probably. But how could someone get up to the second floor? And the place has security. No one can break in without the alarms going off," Cole responded.</p><p>"So who broke the window?" Ben questioned.</p><p>"The wind?" Cole suggested.</p><p>"It's not windy," Ben pointed out.</p><p>They wandered into the room properly, trying to look for clues as to what or who broke the window yet there was nothing but glass, glass and more glass. It was actually rather dangerous in there.</p><p>"Ben," Cole stated, trying to catch his fiancé's attention. Ben glanced over to where Cole was and spotted a small screen on the wall. A video started playing.</p><p>On screen was a teenage boy with short brown hair and green eyes. Opposite him was an older man with an orange dust cloud around him.</p><p>"Is that..." Nya muttered to Jay.</p><p>"Nadakhan and Ben?" Jay frowned.</p><p>Ben gulped. Cole frowned at the screen.</p><p>
  <em>"How did it go?" Nadakhan asked.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Perfectly. They don't suspect a thing," Ben grinned, "They're all distracted with the murder investigation."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Great. I need you to do one more thing for me," Nadakhan smirked.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What is it, master?" Ben questioned.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I need you to get close to one of the ninja, Cole. You need to pretend as if you're in love with him and learn all of the team's weaknesses," Nadakhan explained.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"But master, if you need me to know their weaknesses, why must I get close to Cole?" Ben wondered.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"They won't trust you unless you're with one of the ninja. Cole is one of the most venerable. You can use him easily," Nadakhan smiled.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"It just doesn't seem fair," Ben spoke up.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You dare defy me?" Nadakhan raised his voice, making Ben cower a little.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No master. I-I'll do it..."</em>
</p><p>Cole's heart shattered into a million pieces, tears beginning to form in his eyes. Was he hearing things? Had this love really been a huge trick?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Lie</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Cole," Ben began quietly.</p><p>"Ben... how could you do this to me?" Cole questioned, tears in his eyes, his voice shaking.</p><p>"I didn't want to," Ben responded.</p><p>"I trusted you, with everything..." Cole murmured, a single tear falling down his cheek.</p><p>"Cole, you have to let me explain," Ben began to panic a little.</p><p>"Why should I?" Cole turned to look at him, "I already know the truth. This was all some stupid game to you."</p><p>"No, it's not!" Ben exclaimed.</p><p>"Really?!" Cole shouted, "Because that's what it looks like."</p><p>"I didn't want to do it!" Ben raised his voice.</p><p>"But you did, didn't you?!" Cole replied.</p><p>"Our relationship didn't mean anything to me at first but I-I did get feelings for you! I <em>do</em> have feelings for you!" Ben exclaimed.</p><p>"Don't lie to me!" He yelled, "I'm sick of people lying! I'm sick of <em>you</em> lying!"</p><p>"Cole, please-" He panicked.</p><p>"Y'know... I wouldn't be surprised if you had something to do with all that stuff with Jake. I would be surprised if it was all actually you," Cole rolled his eyes, tears still falling.</p><p>"How can you say something like that?" Ben murmured, shock on his face.</p><p>"Are you seriously questioning me why I think you're a criminal?! Really?!" Cole shouted.</p><p>"Cole-"</p><p>"No! I don't want to hear anymore of your trash talk! You aren't fooling anyone, especially not me. I can't believe you've done this... even after everything we did for you. After everything <em>I</em> did for you. I trusted you! I told you all my secrets! I told you about my family! Do you have any idea what I've risked for <em>you</em>?!" Cole yelled.</p><p>"I'm so sorry," Ben murmured.</p><p>"I risked my relationship with my dad and my brother! All of my friends <em>hated</em> me because I started dating you! You made me believe you actually loved me! I will never <em>ever</em> forgive you for this!" Cole cried.</p><p>"I do love you! I love you more than anything! That's why I'm here! That's why I came back! Because I love you!" Ben exclaimed.</p><p>"No, Ben, you can't just expected to lie your way back into this because you've been caught. That's not how this works! I'm done with your b*llsh*t! I'm done with <em>you</em>! Take your stupid ring, I don't want it!" Cole yelled, taking off the engagement ring and throwing it at Ben.</p><p>"Cole, please-" Ben cried, picking up the ring.</p><p>"Get out! Get out of this house! You don't belong here. You belong in hell. Just leave, go! NOW!" Cole yelled at the top of his lungs, tears streaming down his cheeks. Ben's eyes filled with tears as he rushed out the room and down the corridor towards the stairs.</p><p>Cole screamed in frustration and threw a fist at the screen on the wall, smashing it, sending glass flying across the room. Cole's hand was now covered in cuts and bruises. He leaned against the wall and slid down, his knees up to his chest, his head against his knees, sobbing.</p><p>Ben ran downstairs, catching the attention of Jay and Nya. They stood in the doorway of the main room, looking at Ben, who had a guilty expression on his face. Kai, Lloyd and Zane came out of the basement, a mixture of shock and anger on their faces. They all stared at Ben, who gulped. Without saying anything, he walked to the front door, stepped outside and closed the door behind him.</p><p>The five ninja exchanged looks, hearing screams come from upstairs.</p><p>"I'll go," Jay told them, rushing upstairs.</p><p>"I'm guessing you guys saw the video too," Kai spoke to his sister.</p><p>Nya nodded and sighed, "We should've seen it coming."</p><p>"We did. He was just good at playing innocent," Lloyd replied.</p><p>"What are we gonna do now?" Zane wondered. The others shrugged. There wasn't much they could do.</p><p>Jay rushed down the corridor and towards his bedroom, spotting Cole in the corner sobbing. He was banging his head against the wall. Out of panic, Jay called his name, hoping he'd stop. Cole was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't even notice his brother walk in.</p><p>Jay kneeled down opposite Cole and grabbed his head, making his stop.</p><p>"Cole," His eyes filled with tears.</p><p>"How could I be so stupid?!" Cole screamed, "I should've known!"</p><p>"None of us could've known. This isn't your fault," Jay told him calmly.</p><p>"Yes it is! I let him in! You guys gained his trust because of <em>me</em>!" Cole cried.</p><p>"And we all learnt to trust him," Jay cut in, "He played you, Cole. He's a good liar. Please don't blame yourself for this."</p><p>"I love him, Jay," Cole cried, hugging into his brother, "I thought he loved me."</p><p>"Forget about him. He's not worth any of your time. You have me, okay? I will never <em>ever</em> leave you. I will never do that to you, I promise," Jay hugged him tight. Cole cried into his shoulder, an empty space in his already broken heart.</p><p>But why had it taken so long for Ben's plan to finally be revealed? And <em>who</em> broke that window?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Falling</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Miles and miles past the forests and hills, we go back to the small village that was covered in thick layers of snow. Still sat in the living room of one of the homes were the two teens and their parents.</p><p>The siblings were sat in front of their father who was telling them the story of the past. It all seemed unbelievable to them but maybe that was just the way that their father was describing it. Their mother was busy cleaning up the table after their evening dinner.</p><p>"So Ben was evil all along?" Luka questioned.</p><p>"It doesn't make sense," Iris frowned, "He seemed so nice."</p><p>"Some people are very good at hiding the truth. It's actually a pretty cool talent. I could teach you guys," Jay joked.</p><p>"That 'talent' is called lying," Nya spoke up, catching everyone's attention, "And lying is bad, isn't that right Jay?"</p><p>Jay pouted, "Yes..."</p><p>Iris and Luka giggled. They had always admired their parents' relationship. It wasn't like any other. They both aspired to have relationships just like theirs when they grew up but it would be very difficult to find the right person. At least that's what it seemed like.</p><p>"I don't believe it though," Luka frowned, "Why would Ben be evil after everything the team had done for him?"</p><p>"Yeah, it is pretty strange," Iris agreed.</p><p>"Maybe he got sick of Jay's jokes," Nya muttered to herself in the corner, a grin on her face.</p><p>"Hey!" Jay called out, "I heard that!"</p><p>Nya laughed whilst Iris and Luka remained in confusion.</p><p>"Ben had gotten everything he wanted. He made friends, was with Cole <em>and</em> was an official member of the team," Iris pointed out, "Surely whoever put the video in the house just set him up."</p><p>"But he pretty much admitted to it all and right in front of Cole too," Luka shrugged.</p><p>"Well if you let me continue with the story, you'll find out," Jay smiled.</p><p>"Do you think Nadakhan is back? I mean... who else would put the video there?" Iris wondered.</p><p>"Let dad continue with the story," Luka groaned.</p><p>"I was just asking," Iris glared at her brother.</p><p>"Well what do you guys think? What do you think about Ben being evil again?" Jay asked his children.</p><p>The two sat there and thought for a few moments. They were still rather confused; a lot had happened that they still needed to process.</p><p>"Honestly... I don't think Ben is actually evil. At least not anymore. He seemed to really like Cole," Iris stated.</p><p>"Nah, he's definitely always been evil. I definitely saw it coming," Luka said proudly.</p><p>Nya and Jay smiled at each other, knowing how Luka loved to show off. That was the Smith side of him.</p><p>"I'm more surprised at the fact that we could've had another sibling," Iris' eyes widened.</p><p>Nya laughed, Jay remained silent and looked down at the ground.</p><p>"Well, that is in our past now. We have you two and that's all that matters," Jay gave them a faint smile.</p><p>"Sorry dad, I didn't mean to bring it up," Iris apologised.</p><p>"Don't worry about it," He smiled at her.</p><p>"You two little angels have made our lives so much better," Nya spoke up, Jay nodded.</p><p>"Okay, okay, enough with the soppy stuff. Get back to the story," Luka sat forward, intrigued with what the story would bring next.</p><p>Jay turned to his wife, "Can I?"</p><p>"Go ahead. I'm actually really enjoying this," She replied.</p><p>"Okay..." Jay took a deep breath, "After Ben had left and Cole calmed down, the team managed to clean up the place and get some sleep. The next morning, the team had gathered in the main room. Cole was still asleep, or so we'd thought..."</p><p> </p><p>"What are we supposed to do now?" Kai questioned.</p><p>"We still don't know who or what smashed the upstairs window," Lloyd pointed out.</p><p>"Well there could be a possibility of it being Nadakhan. Even if I <em>did</em> kill him," Jay sighed, "Who else would record that video and expose Ben with it?"</p><p>"Jumping to conclusions is not a good idea," Zane stated, "We don't have any proof yet."</p><p>"So what you're saying is Ben could've exposed himself?" Nya frowned.</p><p>"Why would he do that?" Kai questioned.</p><p>"He wouldn't," Nya responded.</p><p>"I'm just saying that assuming things without evidence isn't going to help us. You know where that's gotten us," Zane replied.</p><p>"Yeah and I ended up in jail," Jay rolled his eyes.</p><p>The team had woken up quite early. The majority hadn't been able to sleep due to what had happened the previous night but they had all tried their best. To be honest, they weren't all that surprised that Ben was still against them.</p><p>"Has anyone heard anything from Cole recently?" Kai wondered after a moment of silence.</p><p>There was a mixture of shrugging and shaking heads.</p><p>"I'll go check on him," Jay stated, getting up and wandering out the room.</p><p>Jay was really concerned for his brother. He knew Cole wouldn't be okay; he really loved Ben. He wanted to be there for him but wanted to give him space at the same time. It was difficult.</p><p>The lightning ninja headed upstairs and down the corridor towards Cole's room. He heard no noise coming from inside, so he just assumed that his brother was sleeping but he still wanted to check.</p><p>Jay quietly knocked on the door. After hearing nothing, he took it upon himself to open up. He opened the door a little, spotting that Cole wasn't in his bed. He then glanced over towards the window and saw a black figure sat in the small comfy chair.</p><p>"Cole?"</p><p>They glanced over by the door, spotting Jay. They gave a faint smile.</p><p>"Hey..."</p><p>Jay came into the room and closed the door behind him. It was almost pitch black in the room, the sun was only beginning to rise outside. Jay took one look at Cole and instantly felt his heart break.</p><p>Cole looked like a mess. There were tear stains on his cheeks, bags under his eyes and he was still in his clothes from the day before. He was scrunched up on the chair, his favourite black blanket wrapped around him. The bedroom window was wide open, a cold breeze seeping through into the room.</p><p>"I just wanted to come check on you," Jay spoke quietly.</p><p>"I'm okay."</p><p>"You don't look like you're okay," He replied, his eyebrows creased.</p><p>"You don't need to worry about me," Cole gave him a faint smile before staring out the window again.</p><p>Jay stayed quiet for a few minutes, taking another look at Cole's face.</p><p>"You look exhausted. Did you get any sleep?" Jay wondered.</p><p>Cole shook his head after a moment, "I... um... I couldn't sleep in that bed."</p><p>Jay nodded, remembering how he and Ben had both shared that bed. It would've been hard for him.</p><p>"Sorry, I wasn't thinking-" Jay began nervously.</p><p>"It's okay. Neither was I..." Cole muttered.</p><p>Jay fell silent again, realising what Cole had meant. Ben being against them wasn't his fault, it never would've been, but the earth ninja obviously thought otherwise.</p><p>Jay knew how Cole felt. Well not exactly but kind of. He'd been there before many many times. Cole had always been there to help and support him and that was what Jay was going to do. But he couldn't blame his brother. Ben had messed with his head.</p><p>"You can't let this get to you. This is exactly what Nadakhan and Ben would've wanted," Jay spoke.</p><p>Cole shrugged, "Why does it matter? It's not like Ben even cared in the first place."</p><p>Jay sighed, "I really don't think he meant it, Cole. I don't think that-"</p><p>"Did you see that video?! It was his plan all along!" Cole exclaimed.</p><p>"I know, I just-"</p><p>"No, you're being stupid again, Jay! You aren't thinking! When will you get it into your thick head that Ben is a bad person. I don't care if you know that <em>'deep down there is good in him</em>' or whatever, he isn't someone who can change. I thought that too, okay?! That stupid video is proof that Ben hasn't changed! It's proof that you were wrong! You have always been wrong!" Cole shouted.</p><p>Jay stepped back, shock on his face. He wasn't expecting Cole to take it out on <em>him</em>. I mean... yeah Jay had brought Ben slowly back into their lives but only because he was being a good person and knew for a fact that there was still good in the teenager. Cole may have been right but Jay still didn't like hearing it aloud, especially from his brother.</p><p>Cole sighed, "Jay... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"</p><p>"No, I get it. I f**ked up. I always do. But that doesn't mean you can take all your frustration and sadness out on me. I'm trying to help you!" Jay replied.</p><p>Cole buried his head in his hands and quietly sobbed. Jay felt awful. He didn't want Cole to be hurt like this; he didn't want to upset him. But he didn't know what to do. This was <em>Ben's fault</em>. How would he solve that?</p><p>"I don't know what to do anymore, Jay," He cried, "I can't... I can't put it into words I just... I don't know what to do."</p><p>Jay kneeled down in front of Cole, worry in his eyes. Cole lifted his head, his hands were soaked, his eyes were red and puffy.</p><p>"How does it make you feel?" Jay asked, trying to get Cole to talk about it and get it out of his system. He knew it would make him feel better.</p><p>Cole thought for a moment, sniffled, opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. He took a deep breath and tried again.</p><p>"It's like... it's like I'm falling... from a million feet in the sky," He mumbled, "It's like I'm desperately trying to grab onto something to lift me back up... like a parachute chord or something... yet nothing is there and I keep coming closer and closer to the ground. It's like a huge dream and I'm waiting to wake up yet I can't..."</p><p>Jay nodded, knowing exactly how that felt. Putting into words the betrayal that you feel when losing someone like that was so difficult. Words often failed. But describing how it felt, just like the way Cole was, made it easier in a way.</p><p>"And then you just... you just hit the ground at full force... smashing you into a million pieces. It's like everything that I am is just... is just scattered all across the ground and it can't be put back together. That's what it feels like."</p><p>Jay nodded before pulling his brother into a tight hug. Cole sobbed quietly, soaking Jay's shoulder. Jay rubbed circles on his back, trying to calm him down.</p><p>"It hurts, Jay, everything hurts," Cole cried.</p><p>"It'll get better, I promise," Jay told him softly.</p><p>The two boys sat on the floor, Cole crying in Jay's arms, for what felt like forever. Being in the presence of each other honestly meant so much to them both. Cole pulled away from the hug and dried his tears.</p><p>"How do you do it? How do you stay so happy after everything you've been through?" Cole questioned.</p><p>"It's simple," Jay responded, "I don't."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Unsteady</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter contains stuff about mental health and self harming. If you don't do well with that kind of stuff, you've been warned :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The team had spent the rest of the day planning what they were gonna do. Cole remained in his room. Jay checked up on him every now and then but left him alone for the majority of the time. He wanted to give him some space.</p><p>It was now quite late at night and the ninja were getting ready for a good nights rest, or most of them were anyway.</p><p>Lloyd, Zane and Kai headed off to bed a while, Cole hadn't left his room all day, and Nya was sat on the bed in her t-shirt and leggings waiting for Jay.</p><p>She quietly read one of her favourite books whilst Jay showered. It was a weird thing with him; he enjoyed having a shower before going to sleep. It helped him to relax.</p><p>After about 20 minutes, the door to the on suite opened and Jay stepped out. He had a pair of blue shorts and a long blue t-shirt on. His hair was damp and messy. In his left hand he held a towel. He reached round into the bathroom and switched off the light. He then closed the door and headed over to the dresser.</p><p>"Nice shower?" Nya asked, glancing up for a brief moment.</p><p>"Yeah... I think I really needed one," Jay smiled.</p><p>They remained silent for a few minutes whilst Jay put his dirty washing in the basket beside the dresser. He was still feeling pretty rough but a lot more calmer and relaxed than earlier.</p><p>"How's Cole doing?" She spoke up, filling the silence.</p><p>"I dunno..." Jay shrugged, "I'm just trying to be there for him, y'know?"</p><p>"And you're doing a good job," She gave him a small smile.</p><p>Jay looked through the mirror at her and smiled back. His smile quickly faded after a minute and he glanced down at his hands. Nya continued reading her book.</p><p>
  <em>"Listen to me, pathetic blue ninja," Cole began in a harsh tone, "If you tell anyone that it was me who said all those things to you, you can say goodbye to everyone here. You don't belong here, Jay, Sensei should have never helped you escape. You would have been better locked up and tortured, where no one here could get hurt."</em>
</p><p>Jay tried his best to distract himself from his thoughts. He had done a lot of that lately and it was exhausting. All he wanted was a positive mindset again. It's all he ever wanted.</p><p>
  <em>"You know how much Ben means to me and so you use the fact that he's dead against me?! That's so disrespectful!" Cole huffed, "Y'know what? I know exactly why you're acting this way. It's because you've got everything you ever wanted. You've got Nya. You're married now. Well guess what, I still have nothing. I don't have anyone. Ugh, I thought you were on my side, Jay!"</em>
</p><p>He knew that he shouldn't blame himself for the things that have happened. So why was he? Why, even after having a million people tell him otherwise, was he still hating himself for the things he didn't cause?</p><p>
  <em>"DON'T LIE TO ME! I AM SICK OF PEOPLE LYING TO ME!" Jay yelled, pushing her away.</em>
</p><p>"Jay?"</p><p>Jay jumped a little, startled by the sudden mention of his name. He glanced up and looked in the mirror to see his beautiful wife looking at him with a worried expression.</p><p>"Is everything okay?"</p><p>Jay smiled and nodded, staring at his hands once again. The room was silent for a few minutes. Nya continued to look at her lover, concerned.</p><p>"Actually..." Jay spoke quietly, "I don't know..."</p><p>"Do you wanna talk about it?" She wondered, placing her book down on the bed next to her.</p><p>Jay shrugged and thought for a moment. He wanted to talk about it, he knew that he should, but how? There was easy way to explain it.</p><p>"I just feel like..." He paused, "Like I'm not a good brother... That's all."</p><p>"Jay, of course you're a good brother. You've always been there for Cole," Nya told him, her eyebrows creased.</p><p>"It doesn't seem like it..." Jay sighed.</p><p>"I've seen the way you help and support him," She cut in.</p><p>"No, you've seen the way that he supports me," Jay corrected her.</p><p>Nya sighed. She had to admit that she mostly saw Cole helping Jay but she also knew for a fact that Jay does the exact same for his brother. They were so close. Why wouldn't he?</p><p>"You two are not only brothers but you're best friends too. I know that you two would both be there for each other no matter what," She replied.</p><p>"Cole has always helped me. Yet whenever I try to help him, I always seem to f**k up," Jay complained.</p><p>"How do you mean?" She frowned.</p><p>"It's like when he was upset about Ben... I brought up the only thing Cole didn't want to hear. And Kai blamed him for snapping at me when it was all my fault in the first place. I shouldn't have brought him up..." Jay muttered.</p><p>"You can't help it, Jay. It's not like you know exactly what Cole is thinking," She reassured him.</p><p>"But I knew that he was upset about Ben."</p><p>Nya remained quiet for a few minutes. Yeah, everyone knew why Cole had been upset but it still didn't give him the right to snap like he did.</p><p>"I did the same thing earlier. I was trying to help and I messed things up. Again," He sighed.</p><p>"You don't mean to. Besides, at least you're trying to be there for him. That's all he needs right now. You're doing a great job. I'm sure he'd say the same thing," Nya told him with a smile.</p><p>"I'm supposed to make him feel better, Nya, not worse. A good leader would do the right thing..." He cut in.</p><p>"And you <em>are</em> a good leader. In fact, you're a fantastic leader," She smiled.</p><p>"How am I?" He frowned.</p><p>"You always lead us into battle and you know exactly what you're doing," She responded.</p><p>"But being leader is so much more than leading the team into battle. It's about supporting and understanding others," Jay explained.</p><p>"And you're good at all those things," Nya replied.</p><p>"But 'good' just doesn't cut it, Nya. I don't understand why you guys even chose me as leader. I'm a mess. I'm forgetful and annoying and ignorant and stupid and-"</p><p>"No," Nya snapped, standing up from the bed and heading over to him, "I will not sit there and listen to you talk crap about yourself!"</p><p>"But it's true Nya and you know it," He sighed.</p><p>She stopped in front of her lover and took his hand into hers. She looked him straight in the eye with a stern look.</p><p>"The team chose you for a reason. You are the bestest leader we have ever had," She told him.</p><p>Jay smiled and looked down at the ground, "Bestest isn't even a real word."</p><p>"Well it is now," She grinned, "Jay..."</p><p>He glanced up at her, a brighter look on his face.</p><p>"Don't think for a single second that you aren't wanted here, okay? We love you just the way you are. You are perfect," She smiled.</p><p>"Thanks Nya," Jay stated before hugging her tight. Nya hugged back, a smile on her face.</p><p>Jay felt a whole lot better after talking to Nya. Maybe he had been overthinking things after all. Just as he was finally feeling happy, he glanced down at his arms, which were wrapped around his love.</p><p>
  <em>You should tell her.</em>
</p><p>As much as he didn't want to, he knew that keeping things a secret from his wife would be a struggle. Jay sighed and pulled away from the hug.</p><p>"I uh... I need to talk to you about something..." Jay stated awkwardly, not making eye contact.</p><p>"What is it?" She frowned, "Is everything okay?"</p><p>He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. He didn't know how to say it. He didn't <em>want</em> to say it. Those words... They hurt. They hurt so much.</p><p>"Jay," She spoke quietly, "You're worrying me."</p><p>Jay's eyes began to fill with tears. He looked away, trying to hold them back. Nya tried to reach for his hand but he took a step back, making her worry more.</p><p>"I can't do it anymore..." He cried, a tear falling.</p><p>"Do what? Be leader?" She frowned.</p><p>"No, no, not that," He responded.</p><p>"Then what?"</p><p>"I-I don't want to keep hurting myself like this, Nya," He sobbed a little, "I-I don't want to do it."</p><p>Nya stayed silent, a worried expression on her face.</p><p>"Ignore the voices in your head. They're wrong," She began calmly.</p><p>"No, Nya..." He closed his eyes, more tears falling.</p><p>She paused, realisation hitting her.</p><p>"You aren't talking about mentally, are you?"</p><p>Jay shook his head a little before completely breaking down. Nya didn't know how to feel. She didn't know what to say. She should've seen this coming. She should've seen the signs. How could she be so stupid?</p><p>Jay hadn't been okay for a while. She couldn't remember the last time that he <em>was</em> okay. She should've been more aware instead of ignoring it <em>again</em>. This had happened before and she ignored it back then too. You'd think she'd learn.</p><p>"Jay..."</p><p>"I'm sorry," He cried, "I'm so sorry..."</p><p>It broke her heart to know that he didn't want to do it. It broke her heart to know that he thought he had no choice but to hurt himself. It broke her heart to know that she hadn't been there for him when he needed her the most.</p><p>"C-Can I... Can I see?" She gulped, trying to hold back her tears.</p><p>He shook his head, hiding his right arm behind his back. He was embarrassed and ashamed of himself. He didn't want Nya to hate him.</p><p>They remained in silence for a moment. Jay cried quietly. Nya's thoughts raced through her head. She finally gathered enough courage to take Jay's right hand and pull his arm closer to her. After taking a deep breath, she slowly rolled him up sleeve of his long sleeve shirt. Jay looked away, more tears falling.</p><p>Nya took one look at his cuts, which looked so much fresher than the ones she had seen before, and bit her lip. She wanted to look away so badly but she couldn't. Those cuts symbolised all of Jay's pain; all of the pain that she couldn't fix.</p><p>"When did you do it? When did you start again?" She asked through breaths.</p><p>"Yesterday..." He spoke quietly, trying to stop crying.</p><p>"Jay... you could've spoken to me..." She sighed.</p><p>"I couldn't..."</p><p>"Why did you do it?" She asked, a concerned look on her face.</p><p>"Months ago... mom gave me a memory stick with a video on it... I watched it yesterday and..." He stopped, holding back his tears.</p><p>"What was it?" She questioned.</p><p>"It was a video of my dad before he... y'know..."</p><p>Nya's eyes widened, "It doesn't show..."</p><p>"No," He shook his head, "It was like an apology video to me..."</p><p>"Aw, that's sweet," She smiled a little.</p><p>"I've never felt so guilty in my entire life," Tears began forming in his eyes once again. Nya's face fell as she saw that Jay was rather upset about it.</p><p>"What he did wasn't your fault, Jay," She told him.</p><p>"I know but he did it because he was lonely and he felt so bad for what he did to me and it's all my fault," He blurted out. He instantly burst into tears, covering his face with his hands.</p><p>Nya didn't know what to do. She knew that Jay wouldn't listen to her no matter what she said. She couldn't think of a response. How could she respond after this?</p><p>"He's gone forever and it's all my fault," He cried.</p><p>Nya pulled him closer to her, wrapping her arms around him. He didn't move. They dropped to the floor, Jay crying in her arms. All she could do was listen to him right now. All she could do was let him cry it out. Nothing she would say could make him feel any less depressed. He was truly a mess.</p><p>They stayed like that for a good 10 minutes. Every cry that escaped from Jay's mouth make her heart break more and more. She held him in her arms as his pain seeped through the salty river.</p><p>He was terrified of who he had become. He had lost himself in all this agony.</p><p>After a few minutes, Jay managed to calm down a little. Nya pulled away from the hug, looking her lover in the eye. She could see the fear. She could <em>feel</em> it.</p><p>"I will always be here for you," She spoke softly, wiping away his tears with her thumb, "You are not alone. You don't deserve to be treated the way that you have. The universe is cruel. But you will always have us. We will never <em>ever</em> leave you, I promise."</p><p>Jay nodded, trying his best to hold back his tears.</p><p>"You are so special, Jay. You are like no other person I have ever met. You are brave and strong and amazing. Don't take yourself for granted," She gave him a reassuring smile, which he returned, "And if you ever feel like hurting yourself, you have to speak to me. I won't let you do this anymore, okay?"</p><p>"Thank you, Nya. I don't know what I'd do without you," He hugged her tightly.</p><p>"We should get some sleep. We have training in the morning," She told him.</p><p>Jay nodded. Nya got up and headed over to the bed. She picked up her book and placed it on the bedside table. Looking back over at Jay, she felt her heart leap. He meant so much to her and to see him like this worried her. Would she lose him?</p><p>"Actually... I have something I need to do first," Jay stated, getting up and heading to the door.</p><p>She frowned, "What? Now?"</p><p>He nodded with a smile, "It's important. I'll be back as soon as possible."</p><p>"Call me if you need anything," She called to him as he stepped out the room.</p><p>"Will do!" He called back, rushing down the corridor.</p><p>She sighed and looked around at her surroundings. It was really late at night now. What could he possibly be doing at a time like this? But at least she had the evening to herself to watch that new show she'd been dying to see...</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Too good at goodbye</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Miles away from the city was a tall mountain. The mountain had a million steps. Those steps led to the very top. At the very top of the mountain was the remains of the Monastery of Spinjitzu, where the ninja had originally trained. They rarely ever visited there anymore but it was loved very much by all of the ninja.</p><p>It was rather dark around. The moonlight lit up the area, revealing a teenage boy sat on the edge of the mountain, legs dangling in the air.</p><p>All was silent. All was calm. Well that was until...</p><p>"Ben."</p><p>The boy didn't move. He didn't jump. He stayed as still as a statue, pretending as if he hadn't heard a thing.</p><p>"How does it feel now that everything is out in the open?" The voice behind spoke, "You're finally a free man."</p><p>His heart raced.</p><p>"Giving me the silent treatment, huh?"</p><p>"I said I was done playing your stupid games, Nadakhan."</p><p>The evil djinn chuckled, "And you thought you had a say in it?"</p><p>Ben refused to look at him. He desperately hoped that it had all been a dream and that he'd wake up sooner or later. Yet no matter how many times he pinched himself, which was quite a lot, nothing changed.</p><p>"We made a deal," Nadakhan became sterner.</p><p>"And I said I wanted no part in it," Ben replied.</p><p>"A deal is a deal."</p><p>For months, he had been dreading this conversation. He had been dreading the day when Nadakhan would finally show his ugly face again and give him the payback he deserved.</p><p>"You saved me after your fight at the Wailing Alps. I helped you. You promised me that you would get close to the ninja. You promised me that you would learn their weaknesses, not become part of their ridiculous team," Nadakhan reminded him.</p><p>Ben shrugged, "So what?"</p><p>"And then after I saved you from that Jake guy or whatever his name was?"</p><p>"I told you I was done with the deal. I told you it was off," He snarled.</p><p>"You think I care about that? All I wanted was to be able to get my own back on Jay. To know all his weaknesses. I told you to <em>kill</em> him," Nadakhan bellowed.</p><p>Ben stayed silent. All of the dijnn's previous threats had been enough for the teen to take. He never wanted to hurt the team like that. They weren't as bad as everyone accused them of being.</p><p>"But instead you decide to take your own path and take things further with Cole? That was never part of the deal," Nadakhan choked.</p><p>"Maybe I wanted to do things for myself for once."</p><p>"Bah! You think you can just do your own thing without getting caught? You've got another thing coming, Ben Miller," Nadakhan snarled.</p><p>"I don't care anymore. Yes, it may have been fake at the start but once I realised how much I <em>really</em> cared for the earth ninja, my mind did its own thing. I'm not on your side anymore, Nadakhan. I'm my own man," Ben responded strongly.</p><p>"YOU DARE DEFY ME?!"</p><p>Ben cowered a little. His back was to Nadakhan but the djinn could tell that the Kitsune was breaking little by little. He wasn't as strong as everyone thought.</p><p>"You do NOT make your own decisions! You will always be evil, Ben! Always! You chose this path, not me," Nadakhan shouted.</p><p>"I'm not evil. YOU changed me!" Ben exclaimed.</p><p>"Me? You didn't even know about me when all of this began. When Nya broke up with you. When you found out about Jay. That was YOU. That was all YOU," Nadakhan reminded him.</p><p>Ben thought for a moment. The djinn had a point. But he was different back then. He didn't know what he was doing. He was <em>hurt</em>.</p><p>Nadakhan took a deep breath, "The choice is all yours Ben. Either, you play the pathetic good guy and remain lonely for the rest of your life. Or you can join me. We can take over the world together."</p><p>"I will never join you," Ben muttered.</p><p>"If you don't, where will you go? The team don't want you. The orphanage won't take you back. Not after what you've done. You have no one to turn to. No friends. No family. Just admit it Ben. You've lost," Nadakhan smirked.</p><p>Ben remained silent. Sure, he had idea what he'd do now but he still would never join forces with Nadakhan again. He couldn't bare hurt those he loved. Not anymore.</p><p>"Think about it. You better be here the same time tomorrow or you're going to get it," Nadakhan bellowed before disappearing into a puff of orange smoke.</p><p>Ben sighed. What would he do now? The last thing he wanted to do was join the dark side again. It wasn't who he was anymore. But what other choice did he have?</p><p>"I thought I'd find you here."</p><p>Ben frowned, recognising that voice. It wasn't Nadakhan, that was for sure. It was much more high pitched and way less evil.</p><p>"Jay?" Ben turned his head to see the master of lightning leaning against one of the burnt frames of the monastery, his arms folded.</p><p>"The monastery is a special place. I used to come here all the time when I was sad too," Jay gave him a faint smile.</p><p>"Am I trespassing? I can leave if you want me to-" Ben questioned.</p><p>Jay shook his head, "Nah. You're good."</p><p>The boy gulped. The fact that Jay was there wasn't a good sign. He was so close to Cole and he knew that he'd only be there to cause trouble. Not for any good reason though.</p><p>"I heard the conversation between you and Nadakhan," Jay stated out of the blue.</p><p>"How much did you hear?" He asked.</p><p>"All of it."</p><p>"Jay-"</p><p>"I knew you weren't bad," Jay cut in, surprising the boy, "You never have been."</p><p>"I'm confused..." He frowned.</p><p>"I see the way you look at Cole. It isn't fake. Believe me, I know that look," Jay continued.</p><p>"Why are you being so nice to me after what I did?" Ben questioned.</p><p>Jay shrugged, "Because I know you. You care too much to hurt anyone now. Besides, I know Nadakhan. He'll try everything and anything to take me down."</p><p>"How's Cole?"</p><p>Jay paused and thought for a moment. Answering that question was tricky.</p><p>"He's... been better."</p><p>"I'm really sorry. I never meant to hurt anyone. I just-"</p><p>"I know. You're a good person, Ben. You just let others get in the way of what you really want," Jay told him, "Cole says he knows the real you but... I saw him first."</p><p>Ben frowned, "What?"</p><p>"That night when we were stuck in the jail cell together. You wanted to rip my throat out. But as soon as you heard about me self harming... you genuinely cared."</p><p>
  <em>Ben took Jay's hand and squeezed it tightly for support. "It is never okay to be doing this to yourself. But people will always be there for you no matter what."</em>
</p><p>"As soon as you saw that there was something wrong, you made sure that I was okay," Jay added.</p><p>
  <em>"I may have tried to kill you, sure, but I don't want to see you do this to yourself, Jay. It isn't worth it." Ben stated, rubbing the top of Jay's hand with his thumb.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Jay nodded slowly and rested his head on Ben's shoulder. Ben wrapped an arm around Jay and pulled him inwards, hugging him.</em>
</p><p>"You were one of the very few people that were there for me," Jay stated, "<em>That</em> was when I saw the <em>real</em> you."</p><p>Ben stayed silent, replaying that evening in his mind. He really had cared for Jay back then. And he still did. It never occurred to him that he had been worried for his enemy all those years ago.</p><p>"You aren't a bad person, Ben. You just make bad choices."</p><p>Ben sighed, "But what's the use now? I've lost everything."</p><p>"Not necessarily. I know the truth now. And the others will learn that too if you explain to them-"</p><p>"I can't. I can't go back there and face them. Not after what I've done," Ben responded quickly.</p><p>"But don't you care about Cole?" Jay questioned.</p><p>"Of course I do. And that's why I have to stay away. I don't want to hurt him anymore. I don't want to hurt any of you."</p><p>A cold breeze sent shivers down Ben's spine as he thought of everything he had done to hurt the team. Jay was wrong. He really had been a bad person.</p><p>"What are you going to do?" Jay wondered.</p><p>The boy thought for a minute. It was a question he'd been thinking about all day. Yet he still hadn't come up with an answer.</p><p>Ben shrugged, "I dunno... But maybe it's time that... I went my own way."</p><p>Jay's eyebrows furrowed, "Where will you go?"</p><p>"Wherever the wind takes me, I guess. I just need to move on. I need to do what's right for me," He suggested.</p><p>Jay nodded, "It won't be the same around here without you."</p><p>Ben smiled a little and glanced down at his hands. He could easily picture the calmness and peace in the city once he was gone. It really wasn't that hard to image.</p><p>The two teens remained in silence for a moment. Jay didn't know how to feel. He and Ben had grown so close and for him to leave now was heartbreaking for the lightning ninja.</p><p>Ben stood up and headed over to Jay. He gave him a friendly smile.</p><p>"I cannot thank you enough for everything you've done for me. You gave me a chance when no one else did. You made me feel welcome on the team. You gave me a home. I am forever grateful," Ben told him.</p><p>"Everyone deserves a chance. And I'm glad I gave you one," Jay returned the smile, "Or a hundred for that matter."</p><p>Ben chuckled. It hurt him to leave too. The ninja were so very kind and supportive. He didn't know what he'd do without them.</p><p>"And you, Jay, are a fantastic leader and the kindest, most caring person I have ever met. Never change," Ben told him.</p><p>And with that, the two boys hugged. They hated saying goodbye. After a few moments, the pulled away, smiling.</p><p>"When did we become best friends?" Jay questioned.</p><p>"I dunno. I guess it just kind of snuck up on us," Ben smiled.</p><p>"If you need me, I'm just a phone call away, okay?" The lightning ninja told him.</p><p>Ben laughed, "Oh please. I'm a Kitsune, I can handle myself."</p><p>"Good luck out there," Jay told him.</p><p>"You too," Ben replied.</p><p>Ben stepped back, taking one last look at the lightning ninja and his surroundings before turning around and heading towards the steps of the monastery.</p><p>
  <em>Cliff opened the door, revealing the thin-brown haired boy standing there smiling.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Sorry to bother you but I'm wondering if you've seen this person." He held up a picture of two children. One with short black hair and the other with short brown hair.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Cliff turned to look at Jay to see if he recognised the person but he just shrugged his shoulders.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Well she's a lot older now but I haven't seen her for nine years." He added, "Her name is Nya Smith."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Jay's eyes widened. He thought he saw that little girl from somewhere and he did. Nya had shown him pictures of her when she and Kai were younger and were still at the Blacksmith's shop. She looked the same. But who was this guy and how does he know her?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I know Nya," Jay spoke up. Cliff turned to see his son again.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You do?" The boy smiled, "Sorry, I'm being so rude. Let me introduce myself. I'm Ben."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Jay. It's a pleasure to meet you." Jay smiled back.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Cliff." Cliff shook Ben's hand.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"So how do you know Nya?" Jay asked Ben, curiously.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"She's my girlfriend."</em>
</p><p>Ben stopped at the top of the steps and turned to see Jay again. They both smiled as if to say their final goodbyes.</p><p>The two boys had been through so much together. Through thick and thin. To see Ben leave like this... It didn't feel right to the lightning ninja. But it did to the Kitsune.</p><p>It was just as hard for Ben as it was for Jay. He never wanted to leave them. He had made so many new friends and so many happy memories. But he knew it was the right thing to do for both him and the team. He'd miss them for sure but he needed to go on his own journey now.</p><p>Ben turned back around and headed down the steps and out of sight. Jay sighed, folded his arms and put his head against the scorched flame next to him. It had only been a few seconds but he could feel an empty space in his heart. But maybe he needed to move on from the past too.</p><p>It was unclear whether we would see Ben again but it wasn't impossible. But even if we did... how long would it be? Where would he go? Only time would tell...</p><p>But for now...</p><p>Goodbye Ben.</p><p>---------------------</p><p>Jay wandered up to the mansion and opened the front door as quietly as he could, trying not to wake anyone. He wasn't the quietest of people though.</p><p>He turned on the lights and closed the front door, locking it for safety reasons. He then took a deep breath and entered the main room. Instead of seeing an empty cold room, he looked up to see his brother sat on the couch.</p><p>"Cole?" Jay frowned.</p><p>Cole glanced up, "Hey..."</p><p>"What are you doing in here?" He questioned.</p><p>"Just thought I could do with a change of surroundings," Cole replied.</p><p>Jay nodded and placed his keys in the basket by the door.</p><p>"Nya told me you had to rush off," He spoke up.</p><p>"Yeah... um... I actually went to go find Ben," Jay responded awkwardly.</p><p>He knew Cole would be upset with him but as long as he got chance to explain and reason with him, there'd be no problems. Hopefully.</p><p>"What?" Cole sat forward, "Why would you do that?"</p><p>"Just hear me out," Jay sighed.</p><p>"Don't you remember what he did?" Cole questioned.</p><p>"Yes but... me being me... I wanted to give Ben a chance to explain himself. I went to go find him and ended up running into Nadakhan as well. They didn't see me so they were having a genuine conversation," Jay explained.</p><p>Cole frowned, "Nadakhan?"</p><p>Jay headed over and sat down next to his brother, ready to explain properly.</p><p>"Nadakhan seemed pretty angry at him because he didn't stick to their deal. Ben, apparently, went his own way with it and ended up <em>actually</em> falling for you. Everything he did was because he chose to do it, not because Nadakhan told him to. Ben was on our side," Jay told him.</p><p>Cole groaned, "I should've let him explain. I'm such a jerk."</p><p>"No you're not. I know how you feel. I would've freaked out the way you did too," Jay replied.</p><p>"Where is he?" Cole asked.</p><p>Jay sighed, "He's gone."</p><p>"What do you mean?" Cole raised an eyebrow.</p><p>"He's not coming back, Cole. He said he wanted to go on his own journey. I watched him leave," Jay told him sadly.</p><p>Cole slumped down in the seat. He sighed, almost looking as if he was going to cry.</p><p>"I'm really sorry, Cole. There was nothing I could do to stop him. He didn't want to hurt you anymore," Jay stated.</p><p>Cole sighed again, "I was an idiot and now the love of my life is gone. Again."</p><p>"Everyone makes mistakes."</p><p>"Yeah, I guess..."</p><p>"Things will get better. But for now, we need to focus on how we're gonna stop Nadakhan," Jay sat back on the couch.</p><p>"You really saw him?"</p><p>Jay nodded, "With my very own eyes."</p><p>"I guess we just gotta find out what he wants and go from there," Cole suggested.</p><p>"That's if he decides to show his ugly face any time soon. And I'm guessing we won't have to wait long," Jay added.</p><p>"Whatever happens, we'll be prepared. We're a lot stronger than we used to be," Cole replied. Jay nodded in agreement.</p><p>Even if the team was now back down to six members again, at least they knew their friends and family would back them up no matter what. Especially against Nadakhan. But what confused them the most was the fact that he's back... Jay had killed him. How was it even possible?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Eyes blue like the Atlantic</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A few days had passed since Ben had left. The house was definitely a lot quieter but the team were beginning to move on from what had recently happened. Cole was still having a tough time of course and Jay was on the internet constantly, looking for any news about Nadakhan's current whereabouts. He needed to know something; he was sick of sitting around waiting for something to happen.</p><p>The team were currently in the main room playing another game of uno. Jay had wandered off to shower and change into something more comfortable.</p><p>It was now quite late in the evening. They were all starting to get tired yet none of them had actually gone to sleep.</p><p>Jay had just gotten out the shower. He was now in his room, his underwear and trousers on. He was drying his hair with the small blue towel he had, droplets of water splashing onto his warm bare chest.</p><p>As Jay glanced around the room, rubbing the ends of his short auburn hair with the rather damp towel, he caught a quick glimpse of himself in the large mirror on the chest of drawers. He stopped for a moment and looked at the number of scars he had on his chest; ones he had gotten from all of his adventures and dangerous missions in the past. His bright blue eyes then focused on the scars on his arms. They didn't look as bad as they did before as he had stopped his self harming once again. He was trying his hardest not to do it.</p><p>He sighed and wandered over to the bed, trying to forget what had happened before. He was trying to keep a fresh mind.</p><p>Luckily distracting him from his thoughts, the door opened and in walked his wife. Her medium-length raven hair was calmly resting on her shoulders. Her green eyes lit up and she smiled as she spotted her lover. Jay returned the smile.</p><p>"How was your shower?" She asked.</p><p>"Pretty good," He replied, "I smell nice and fresh now."</p><p>Nya chuckled and gently placed her hands on Jay's arms. She glanced up at him and smiled. Jay leant down and kissed her on the lips passionately. They pulled away after a few moments and they both grinned.</p><p>"What was that for?" Nya questioned.</p><p>"To show how much you mean to me, of course," Jay beamed.</p><p>"Well in that case," Nya pecked him on the lips gently, "I love you too."</p><p>Jay giggled nervously, causing a light pink to appear on Nya's cheeks. He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly.</p><p>"I'm so lucky to have you," Jay smiled.</p><p>Nya loosened her grip on him. Jay moved back a little, giving her some space.</p><p>"Did I say something wrong?" He asked worriedly.</p><p>"No, I just..." She sighed, "It's nothing you did."</p><p>"Then what's up?" He wondered.</p><p>Nya glanced down at the floor awkwardly, "I really don't deserve you, Jay."</p><p>"Woah, this came out of nowhere," Jay frowned, "What happened?"</p><p>She stayed silent for a few minutes, deciding how to reply.</p><p>"Nya."</p><p>"I haven't exactly been totally honest with you..." She spoke quietly.</p><p>"It's literally been five minutes and you're telling me there's more drama?" Jay raised an eyebrow.</p><p>Nya smiled a little at his remark before returning to a rather guilty expression.</p><p>"I'm sure whatever it is, it's not important right now," Jay told her, wandering over to pick up his towel again.</p><p>Nya grabbed his wrist and pulled him back towards her, not making eye contact, "No, Jay, it's important. I can't keep it a secret anymore."</p><p>"Has it got something to do with Ben?" Jay wondered.</p><p>She shook her head, her eyes filling with tears.</p><p>"Hey," Jay spoke softly, "It's gonna be okay."</p><p>Nya tried her best to hold back her tears. She couldn't bare the thought of hurting Jay again.</p><p>"You know you can always talk to me about anything, right?" Jay told her calmly, taking her hand into his.</p><p>Nya took a deep breath, "You know when we were all at the hospital after the explosion and I was still in my coma?"</p><p>Jay nodded, a slight frown on his face.</p><p>"And what the doctor told you guys, right?"</p><p>"About how you went to the hospital so you could get pregnant for us to have a child? Yeah, I remember," Jay responded, confused as to where she was going with this.</p><p>She gulped, "Well... that wasn't exactly true."</p><p>"How do you mean?" Jay frowned.</p><p>"I didn't go to the hospital to get pregnant."</p><p>Jay glanced down at the floor for a brief moment, "So if you didn't get pregnant that way then how did you? We didn't do... <em>y'know</em>. Unless you..."</p><p>The lightning ninja looked his wife in the eye, the look of guilt making him shudder. There was no way... no way on earth...</p><p>Jay took a step back, letting go of her hand. His heart pounded, his eyes filling with fear. A single tear fell down Nya's cheek.</p><p>He took a minute to gather himself. He found it so hard to open his mouth. He found it so hard to speak what he wanted. What could he even say?</p><p>"W-Who?" He asked, his voice shaking, "Who was it?"</p><p>"Jay-" Nya tried to cut in.</p><p>"Who was it?" He repeated sternly.</p><p>"Lloyd."</p><p>Jay felt his heart drop through his chest. He felt it break into a million tiny glass shards that pained him entirely. It hurt him all over.</p><p>How could she do this? <em>Why</em> would she do this? After everything he had done for her...</p><p>He quickly grabbed his blue shirt from the chair in the corner of the room and stormed out the room.</p><p>"Jay, wait!" She called out to him, drying her tears.</p><p>Nya chased after him as he stormed down the corridor. He put on his short-sleeved t-shirt and sprinted down the stairs. The ninja in the main room could hear him stomping from a mile away. It was like an elephant stampede.</p><p>Jay stopped in the doorway of the main room, catching everyone's attention. He had an angry look plastered on his face, gritting his teeth.</p><p>"Jay?" Kai frowned.</p><p>"You okay buddy?" Cole raised an eyebrow.</p><p>Jay glanced around the room, not spotting the green ninja.</p><p>"Where is he?" He spoke angrily.</p><p>"Where's who?" Zane questioned.</p><p>That's when a blonde boy, just a little taller than Jay wandered in through the other door to the room. There was a smile on his face, well that was until he spotted angry Jay in the doorway.</p><p>"Jay, you alright there? You look tired," Lloyd joked.</p><p>"Yeah, tired of your s**t," Jay snarled.</p><p>"Woah," Kai's eyes widened. Zane and Cole exchanged looks of shock.</p><p>"Jay, wait please," Nya rushed into the room and grabbed her husband's arm. He quickly shoved her off him.</p><p>"Hey, be careful with my sister!" Kai exclaimed sternly.</p><p>Jay growled and stormed towards Lloyd, making everyone on edge. What the hell was wrong with him?!</p><p>The lightning ninja grabbed Lloyd by the collar and shoved him against the wall.</p><p>"Jay!" Kai exclaimed.</p><p>"Jay what the heck?!" Cole shouted.</p><p>"Let him go!" Zane raised his voice.</p><p>"JAY!" Nya panicked a little.</p><p>"Jay, what's gotten into you?!" Lloyd questioned, fear in his eyes.</p><p>Jay tightened his grip on Lloyd, his nails beginning to dig into the palm of hand.</p><p>"You," Jay bellowed, "You're the b***h that slept with my wife!"</p><p>The rest of the team exchanged looks of confusion and shock.</p><p>"You what now?!" Kai exclaimed.</p><p>"Jay, just let him go! Let me explain!" Nya shouted, tears falling down her cheeks.</p><p>Cole glanced over at Nya. She glanced back at him. He glared at her before trying to get up.</p><p>"Jay, just let Lloyd go," Zane stated calmly.</p><p>"Not until he pays for what he's done," Jay snarled, not taking his eyes off the green ninja.</p><p>"There's a reason if you just let us explain," Lloyd panicked.</p><p>"I don't need to listen to some s**tty explanation. You <em>slept</em> with my wife! I don't need an explanation to know exactly what that means! What are you gonna explain to me? Every single little f**king detail?! Sure, find another way of torturing the already poor, broken boy," Jay replied sarcastically.</p><p>Jay, once again, started tightening his grip, but this time Lloyd was struggling to breathe. He began coughing and trying to break free from Jay's grasp for air. The team began to panic. They all jumped out of their seats, and headed over to help.</p><p>"Jay, let go!" Kai shouted.</p><p>"You're hurting him!" Cole shouted.</p><p>Jay turned his head to face them. He was so much more than angry. The innocent blue eyes they all knew so well had been replaced with dark azure glowing ones with lightning bolts shooting from them.</p><p>He had finally reached his breaking point.</p><p>"Jay-" Cole spoke quietly, worried about his brother.</p><p>"Take one more step and I'll kill him," Jay's voice was deep and echoey. It terrified the others.</p><p>"Jay," Cole spoke softly, trying to keep calm, "Just put Lloyd down and we can talk about this, okay?"</p><p>Jay didn't say anything, he stared at them for a few moments before gritting his teeth again.</p><p>"Do you really want to kill your own teammate?" Cole questioned, "Imagine how that will make you look. Just put him down and we can talk."</p><p>Jay's breathing was heavy, he only seemed to be getting angrier.</p><p>"Jay," Cole spoke sternly.</p><p>After a moment, Jay let go of Lloyd's collar and watched him fall to the ground with a thud. The green ninja gasped for air as Cole and Zane rushed to his aid. Kai grabbed Jay's wrist and pulled him away. He dragged him out of the house and closed the door behind.</p><p>Jay snatched his wrist away and began storming down the path of the house.</p><p>"Where the hell do you think you're going?!" Kai shouted, "You don't just get to walk away from what just happened!"</p><p>Jay stopped and turned to face Kai, his anger still the same level as it was when they were inside.</p><p>"I get that you're angry but that doesn't give you the right to strangle your own friend!" The fire ninja shouted.</p><p>"What kind of friend sleeps with my wife?!" Jay questioned angrily.</p><p>"Yes, that's pretty idiotic of him. I'm angry too, not just at him but at Nya too. But you didn't even give him chance to explain. Are you seriously gonna kill him for something so stupid?!" Kai exclaimed.</p><p>Jay stayed silent, staring at the ground. Kai stormed straight up to him and put a finger on his chest.</p><p>"You need to calm the f**k down," Kai snarled.</p><p>"Don't tell me what to do," Jay pushed him back aggressively, "That's none of your f**king business."</p><p>"It is when you're acting like <em>this</em>. This isn't you, Jay. This isn't the <em>real</em> you," Kai told him</p><p>"And what if this is?" He questioned.</p><p>"It's not. I know the real you," Kai responded.</p><p>"No you don't. No one does. Stop f**king lying to me like everyone else," Jay pushed him away once again.</p><p>"Just calm down," Kai huffed.</p><p>"Stop telling me what to f**king do," Jay snarled.</p><p>Kai continued to stare into Jay's angry eyes for a few moments. How was he gonna calm him down? If he didn't, Jay would surely go on an angry rampage and end up getting into a whole load of trouble; trouble he'd end up regretting majorly later. So he did the first thing he thought of.</p><p>Kai stepped forward, placed his hands on Jay's cheeks, closed his eyes and pulled him closer, pressing his lips against Jay's. The master of lightning stood there in shock for a moment before slowly sinking into the kiss too, all his anger melting away.</p><p>The fire ninja only wanted to distract Jay from his angry thoughts, not expect him to kiss back. Now he was in for a world of trouble.</p><p>After a few moments, Kai pulled away. Jay remained there in shock, his eyes still closed, his lips puckered for a second. He loosened up a bit and as soon as he came to his senses, his eyes slowly opened. Kai was scared about how he'd react.</p><p>"Kai..."</p><p>"I didn't know how else to calm you down and I just thought that-" He panicked.</p><p>"Thought that you'd just kiss your sister's husband, huh? That's how the world works now, does it?" Jay questioned.</p><p>Kai froze, unsure of how to respond. He'd really dug himself a hole now. This was the exact reason why he kept his feelings a secret.</p><p>"You really know how to mess with someone's feelings don't you," Jay snarled, turned around and started walking off down the path.</p><p>"Jay, wait-"</p><p>"Just leave it."</p><p>Kai sighed. This was what he was afraid of. His worst nightmare had come true.</p><p>But none of this explained what happened between Nya and Lloyd...</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I do not ship Lloya in any way possible. But plasma on the other hand 👀</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Goodbye</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The mountains were beautiful with their specks of white, which were still surprisingly visible. Lush forests of viridian, golden and crimson leaves danced in the refreshing, summer breeze. However, not far from the city was an ancient monastery that was still relatively standing after the fire all those years ago. Sat by the edge of the cliff was a small ninja. Not all that small, but much smaller than the average 19 year old. Tear stains were just about visible on his blue sleeveless shirt.</p><p>His life was falling apart. It had been crushed by the weight of all his problems; the problems of which he blamed on his friends and families the most. He could never take responsibility. He could never bare to think of what he had done in the past.</p><p>The thoughts and emotions circled around in his mind. He couldn't focus. He couldn't think straight. All he could do was overthink <em>everything</em> and it was only frustrating him more.</p><p>He'd slipped. Messed up. It was nothing new. Everyone knew that he messed up, even himself. But this time... this time was different.</p><p>What had he done wrong? He couldn't place his finger on it. Yes, he had made so many mistakes in the past but knew exactly what he'd done. Yet this time, he couldn't figure it out. He tried so hard to think of the reasonings but nothing came to mind.</p><p>Why would she do this? Was it something he had done? Was it something he had said? Maybe he had taken things too far. Maybe it was too soon to get married. With everything going on in their lives, all the stress and drama, would it really have been the best time?</p><p>His wife had cheated on him. It may have been months and months and <em>months</em> ago but what exactly did that change? She'd kept it a secret for so long, acted like nothing had ever happened.</p><p>Maybe he didn't understand. He was so confused. He couldn't process it.</p><p>He was already struggling to wrap his head around the fact that his <em>wife</em> had <em>cheated</em> on him with one of his greatest friends. But now he had to comprehend the fact that Kai had kissed him.</p><p>Kai of all people. Why would he kiss him? To play with his feelings? To break him more? To help him realise how alone he was and how easy it was to trick him into thinking things that weren't true? Yeah, it was easy. So so easy.</p><p>Jay stared out into the distance, dry tear stains on his cheeks. His face was emotionless. He looked... dead. Yet he was anything but dead. He was very much alive. His heart was still beating, but at a rather peculiar pace.</p><p>"Look who we have here."</p><p>He didn't budge. He couldn't.</p><p>That voice...</p><p>That voice....</p><p>
  <em>That voice...</em>
</p><p>It was piercing.</p><p>But he was used to it.</p><p>He'd heard it so many times that he wasn't surprised to hear it anymore. He wasn't scared. Not of what was behind him but of what would be ahead of him. What he'd turn into. Who he'd hurt next.</p><p>"Nothing to say, huh?"</p><p>He wasn't scared of the djinn anymore. He was scared of <em>himself</em>.</p><p>"Hm," He bellowed, "For once, the master of lightning has no words."</p><p>Jay remained silent. No emotion. No movement.</p><p>"Not even a joke to lighten the mood?" He questioned with a smirk, "Looks like it's my lucky day."</p><p>He already knew where this was going. He knew that Nadakhan would take him, torture him, break him to the point where he couldn't take it anymore. What different would it be to the past two years of his life? He was used to this treatment now. It was obvious the universe had it out for him. Literally anything was possible now.</p><p>"Why are you waiting around?" Jay's voice was croaky, "Surely you would've taken your chance by now."</p><p>"What chance?" Nadakhan wondered.</p><p>"To take me, lock me up, keep me away from everyone, torture me, do everything in your power to make me pay for all that I've done," Jay explained quietly, a miserable tone of voice.</p><p>"Now why would I do that? That's exactly what you want, isn't it?" He grinned.</p><p>Jay waited a moment before responding, "No it's what <em>you</em> wanted. It's what you've always wanted. To make me pay for destroying your home, your family, your plans."</p><p>Nadakhan chuckled, "Yes, that <em>is</em> what I want. But you cannot deny it, Jay, you want it too. You <em>hate</em> yourself."</p><p>Jay rolled his eyes and glanced down at his hands. All he wanted to do now was give up.</p><p>"What are you going to do now, pathetic blue ninja?"</p><p>Jay shrugged, tears reforming in his eyes, "I can't go back there... They won't want me there anymore... Not after what I did. Not after everything I've done."</p><p>"Ha," Nadakhan smirked, "Like what?"</p><p>"I shouldn't need to list everything," Jay stated.</p><p>"You mean like the death of your brother?"</p><p>"No," Jay frowned, "That wasn't my fault."</p><p>"Are you sure?" He smiled, "Because last time I checked, he took a bullet for you. You may not have told him to directly but he did that for you. Thats your fault."</p><p>Jay thought for a moment. So many people had told him and convinced him that none of that was his fault. He started to believe it. But Nadakhan had a point. He always did. He had a way with words.</p><p>"And your father's death," Nadakhan reminded him, "That was your fault. He tried to kill himself because of what you did to him. He tried to apologise for his stupid and immature behaviour and you... you hated him for it."</p><p>"I know..." Jay sighed, "He was lonely... it was my fault. That's nothing new to me."</p><p>"What about your mother's death?" He questioned.</p><p>"How do you mean?" Jay frowned.</p><p>"That was your fault too."</p><p>"But she died of natural causes."</p><p>"Natural causes?" Nadakhan raised an eyebrow, "She had a heart attack because of the effects of the explosion at that stupid party. If you had forgiven your father and hadn't gotten yourself framed for his death, you wouldn't have been locked up. That party would've have been thrown. You wouldn't have lost Edna or Skylor."</p><p>Jay had never thought of it that way. All of it was linked. Everything. Right from the very beginning.</p><p>
  <em>"I suppose I could let you go." Nadakhan began to smirk.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Jay breathed a sigh of relief. He thought his friends would have to go through everything he had to go through before.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"On one condition." He added.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Name it and you can have it," Cole told him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I get to keep Jay." Nadakhan finished.</em>
</p><p>It was that day when everything began falling to pieces. All those years ago. Before all this drama and hurt happened.</p><p>
  <em>They all ran off out the door, leaving Jay and Nadakhan alone. Jay sighed as he watched his friends leave without him. It wasn't the first time.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"They won't come back for you," Nadakhan told him from behind.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I know." He sighed.</em>
</p><p>If he hadn't made that stupid decision to stay with Nadakhan that day, none of this would've happened. Sure, he wouldn't have met his father, his mother, Jessie or even Ben, but it meant that the people he loved and cared about wouldn't have gotten hurt.</p><p>Everything was his fault.</p><p>"Imagine how your friends would feel now? You tried to kill the green ninja. You saw the way they acted. They probably knew. They were probably in on it. They probably laughed at you when they found out about Lloyd and Nya," Nadakhan slowly approached the master of lightning.</p><p>Jay's eyes filled with tears, all his horrific thoughts returning to him again for the umpteenth time that day. He could turn around and strike Nadakhan with his evolved powers any time he liked but he just didn't have the effort to fight him. He knew that the djinn was right.</p><p>"Nya never loved you. She only turned to Lloyd because you weren't there when she needed you. You had yourself framed because of your idiotic choices and that is how she repays you. You can't blame them for something that you did," Nadakhan muttered.</p><p>"No," Jay cried, "She... she wouldn't do that..."</p><p>"But she did. You might not believe me, Jay, but Ben reported everything to me. He knew exactly what was happening. Especially the conversations Lloyd and Nya had," He responded.</p><p>"C-Conversations?"</p><p>Nadakhan got down low, right next to Jay's ears. It made the master of lightning shudder, more tears falling from the fear of losing himself and everyone he loved. What would this evil villain do to him this time?</p><p>"<em>Oh Lloyd, you are the only person I can count on,</em>" Nadakhan repeated what he could remember oh so clearly, "<em>Nya, my one true love, oh how I'd love to be with you but Jay is the only obstacle in the way of true love. Our true love.</em>"</p><p>Jay couldn't believe what he was hearing. It didn't sound like something they would say or do yet there was a small part of him that told him they'd do it. He didn't blame them.</p><p><em>"Forget about Jay, my greenie, he's not here right now. All I want is... you," </em>He whispered in the boy's ears.</p><p>Jay burst into tears. He didn't know what else to do. He put all his trust in his friends and now it had all been thrown away. All this time he thought they cared about him when really they were just laughing behind his back.</p><p>"I-I don't belong here," Jay cried.</p><p>"No, Jay, you don't," Nadakhan grinned, "They don't want you anymore. You've caused them too much pain. You've caused everyone hurt. Why would they still want you around? Surely you'd just be better off out of the way, right?"</p><p>"Y-Yes..."</p><p>"Yes," Nadakhan repeated, "Even your brother hates you."</p><p>"No... C-C-...Cole..."</p><p>Nadakhan waved his arms around by the side of Jay. Within a matter of seconds, an orange dust cloud appeared in front of Jay, showing a vision of his teammates.</p><p>
  <em>"Where do you think he is?" Zane questioned</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I don't know and I don't care," Lloyd rolled his eyes, "He's caused enough trouble already."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"He didn't even give us chance to explain. He always freaks out like this," Nya sighed.</em>
</p><p>"This is them right now," Nadakhan told Jay quietly.</p><p>Jay's eyebrows creased with worry. It didn't make sense... why would they say this?</p><p>
  <em>"I'm not surprised," Kai spoke up, "It's so easy to play around with his feelings."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Cole glanced up, "How long are we going to go on like this?"</em>
</p><p>For a moment, Jay believed that Cole would stick up for him. After everything Jay had done for his brother, he thought that he'd at least show some sympathy.</p><p>
  <em>"I'm fed up of Jay acting his way."</em>
</p><p>The boy's heart sank. Was he hearing things? None of them... none of them were there for him. None of them were even the slightest bit worried about him. Instead, they continued to hurt him and not even directly.</p><p>
  <em>"I've tried to make him realise but... he only gets upset and I can't deal with it anymore. He's not acting like the brother I knew so well."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"He's acting like a know-it-all, acting as if he owns the place and I can't take it anymore. I don't think anyone can," Kai sighed.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What do we do then?" Lloyd asked.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"We need to kick him off the team," Cole told them, "We can't keep going on like this."</em>
</p><p>After everything he had done, every battle he had fought, all the support he had given them... why would they treat him this way? This was all the proof he needed to know that no one cared about the poor, broken boy anymore. He was alone. He had nothing but his demons, his own thoughts.</p><p>"See?" Nadakhan smirked as the dust cloud disappeared.</p><p>Jay cried and cried for what felt like forever. He really thought they were on his side. He had spent so many days with them and to now know what it meant to <em>them</em> pained him in every way possible.</p><p>"You aren't loved anymore. You aren't wanted," Nadakhan whispered in his ear.</p><p>"I-I-" Jay stuttered.</p><p>"What is it, Jay? What are you trying to say?" The djinn grinned, all his dreams coming true.</p><p>"I-I-I-"</p><p>"Spit it out."</p><p>"I wish it all away!"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. If you want love</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was just a normal sunny morning in Ninjago City. Nothing much was happening. Well except for the panic in the ninja household.</p><p>Kai was sat at the kitchen counter with Lloyd and Zane whilst Cole was sat on the sofa with the computer on his lap. He was focused on the screen, constantly clicking on different websites.</p><p>"Found anything yet?" Kai questioned.</p><p>Cole glanced over his shoulder for a brief moment before groaning.</p><p>"Does it look like I've found anything?" Cole snarled.</p><p>"Calm down, Cole. Taking it out on each other won't help," Zane stated calmly.</p><p>"That's easy for you to say, Zane," Cole rolled his eyes, "It's not like <em>your</em> brother is missing, is it?"</p><p>"It's only been 4 days, I'm sure he'll be back soon," Lloyd reassured him.</p><p>Cole's face filled with shock as he turned to look at the green ninja.</p><p>"Oh right, I forgot you don't care about Jay anymore," Cole groaned.</p><p>"Of course I care about him," Lloyd frowned.</p><p>"It's been FOUR DAYS," Cole repeated, "Zane, how long has it been in minutes since Jay left the house?"</p><p>"Approximately 5760 minutes," Zane responded.</p><p>"See? That's how long he's been out there alone," Cole seemed a little more worried.</p><p>"I'm sure he's okay. Jay can handle himself," Lloyd stated.</p><p>"No," Cole shook his head, "Not right now..."</p><p>Cole was the most concerned about Jay. Not just because he was his brother but because he knew how Jay had been feeling. He knew that, especially after what had happened, he would try to do something stupid. The pieces fitted together. And the fact that no one had heard from him really made him realise something. But he just didn't want to believe it.</p><p>Nya wandered into the room, a defeated look on her face. Her phone was in her hand, and it was on a relatively low battery. Everyone directed their gaze on her.</p><p>She sighed, "I called every place I could think of. No one's seen him."</p><p>"Great. Well that's just fantastic," Cole slammed the laptop closed and placed it down next to him.</p><p>"I'm sorry, I really did try my best," Nya broke eye contact with everyone.</p><p>"Well you obviously haven't because other wise we would've found him, wouldn't we?" Cole huffed.</p><p>"You haven't found anything either," Lloyd pointed out.</p><p>"And I don't see you three doing anything," Cole turned to face them, "At least I'm doing <em>something</em>."</p><p>Kai glanced down at his hands whilst Zane and Lloyd exchanged looks of guilt. They didn't know what to do. They knew that even if they did try to help out, Cole would only end up shouting at them anyway. It was best to just let him and Nya do it. At least that's what they thought.</p><p>"And may I remind you, Mr I'm-so-special-that-I-can-sleep-with-my-friend's-wife, this is all <em>your</em> fault. If you and Nya hadn't... y'know... then none of this would've happened," Cole snarled, "Or you, Miss I-want-to-cause-Jay-aaaaaall-the-pain-I-possibly-can, should've just kept your damn mouth shut."</p><p>"So you'd rather me keep it a secret than tell him the truth?" Nya questioned.</p><p>"Would've stopped all this from happening though, right?" Cole smiled sarcastically.</p><p>Nya rolled her eyes.</p><p>"Sorry to interrupt this... argument," Zane spoke up, catching everyone's attention, "But I briefly remember Kai dragging Jay outside and not returning with him."</p><p>Kai glanced up, a look of panic on his face. Cole shot him a look almost instantly.</p><p>"What happened to Jay?" Nya asked her brother.</p><p>"Well... he was angry so I tried to calm him down. But it didn't exactly go as planned and he stormed off," Kai explained awkwardly.</p><p>"Seriously?" Lloyd frowned.</p><p>"And you didn't think of mentioning this before?!" Cole exclaimed.</p><p>"I didn't think it was important!" Kai responded.</p><p>"Didn't think it was...?! Oh my goodness," Cole tried to control his anger.</p><p>"How do you mean, 'didn't go as planned'?" Nya wondered.</p><p>"Well... nothing. It doesn't matter," Kai responded quickly.</p><p>"Kai, I swear to god if you don't tell me I will-" Cole began angrily.</p><p>"I kissed him."</p><p>It was like the whole room had turned to slow motion around the fire ninja. Not only were the team angry at Kai for not saying something before but now they'd be even madder because of what had literally just happened. Nya had cheated on Jay for Lloyd and Kai's response was to kiss him?! That wouldn't go down well.</p><p>"Excuse me?" Zane frowned.</p><p>"Woah, woah, repeat that," Lloyd's eyes widened.</p><p>"You WHAT?!" Nya exclaimed.</p><p>Cole sat there in shock. He froze, his mouth agape.</p><p>"I know it was stupid of me but I didn't know how else to calm him down. I realise it was a bad idea now. I regretted it almost instantly and he freaked out at me about it and-"</p><p>"KAI, HOW COULD BE SO DAMN IDIOTIC?!" Cole practically screamed.</p><p>"It wasn't my finest moment, I know!" Kai shouted back, "And I feel bad!"</p><p>"I don't care if you feel bad or not, you can't just go and kiss some random person because you want to 'calm them down'," Cole argued.</p><p>"Jay isn't just some random person-" Kai cut in.</p><p>"So?! That's just proving my point even more! He's vulnerable, Kai! I hate to say it but its true! And he was heartbroken! He just found out about his wife cheating on him and the best thing you can think of doing it kiss him?! That is beyond one of the most stupidest things you have EVER done!" Cole yelled.</p><p>Kai buried his head in his hands, "I don't know why I did it! It just happened!"</p><p>"Oh, oh, I get it now," Cole chuckled.</p><p>Kai glanced up a little, a frown on his face.</p><p>"It's so obvious," Cole face palmed.</p><p>"What is?" Zane raised an eyebrow.</p><p>"Kai has a crush on Jay," Cole laughed.</p><p>Kai's head shot up, "What?! No, no, I don't! Why would I have a crush on <em>Jay</em>?! <em>Jay</em> of all people!"</p><p>"It makes so much sense. You're so over protective of him! And when you freaked out at me for having a go at Jay last week... oh, it makes sense now!" Cole continued.</p><p>"What are you talking about?" Nya questioned.</p><p>"That's why you backed him up... That's why you were always on his side. Because you have a big fat crush on him," Cole pointed at Kai, who seemed panicked.</p><p>"I-I don't!"</p><p>"I do recall hearing Kai and Jay talking in the corridor that same day," Zane stated, "Jay had asked why Kai cared so much and Kai had given such a blunt response."</p><p>
  <em>"Why do you even care so much?" Jay frowned.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Because...because," He stuttered, "Because I do, okay?!"</em>
</p><p>"No, you've got it all wrong! I would never have a crush on Jay!" Kai exclaimed.</p><p>"You seem a little panicked for someone who 'doesn't have a crush on Jay'," Lloyd pointed out.</p><p>"I don't!"</p><p>"Kai..." Nya spoke quietly, a look of hurt in her eyes.</p><p>"Nya, I promise I don't have a crush on him!"</p><p>"Your stress levels are high," Zane stated out of the blue.</p><p>Kai glanced around the room. He had been caught out. His nightmare was getting worse. Would he lose them too? He needed to get out of there; find Jay himself.</p><p>He got down from the kitchen counter and stormed out of the room, causing the others to exchange looks and whispers.</p><p>Kai headed to the front door and pulled it open. Just as he was about to step outside, he stopped dead in his tracks, staring right at what was in front of him.</p><p>"Guys... you might want to come look at this..." Kai raised his voice, not looking away.</p><p>Within a few minutes, the rest of the team had joined him at the front door, also staring in the same direction.</p><p>"A...wall?" Lloyd questioned.</p><p>"Who put a wall there?" Nya frowned.</p><p>"That wasn't there before," Kai pointed out.</p><p>"My scan tells me that there is a large wall all around the house. And it's made of..." Zane paused to scan again, "Vengestone."</p><p>"Vengestone?!" Nya and Cole exclaimed in unison.</p><p>"Who the hell would build a vengestone wall around the house?!" Kai questioned.</p><p>The team exchanged looks of realisation after a few moments.</p><p>"There's only one person out to get us right now," Lloyd stated.</p><p>"Nadakhan," Cole sighed.</p><p>"I heard my name," A deep voice spoke from behind them.</p><p>The team of five jumped and turned to face the corridor doorway.</p><p>"How did you get in here?!" Kai exclaimed.</p><p>"I'm a djinn, remember? I can teleport," He rolled his eyes.</p><p>"Get lost, Nadakhan!" Nya snarled.</p><p>He chuckled, "Don't you want to know where your friend is?"</p><p>They exchanged looks of worry. Cole had feared Nadakhan from the moment he knew he was back yet he never thought of him taking Jay. He should've. It was obvious. Too obvious. He just assumed that maybe... just maybe... Jay could've done something he had tried before. Cole was there to stop him before but this time he wasn't. Maybe he was wrong. But he didn't want to jinx it.</p><p>"Where is he?" Kai snarled, stepping forward.</p><p>He laughed, "In the teapot of Tyrahn of course."</p><p>"What?" Nya frowned.</p><p>"How?" Lloyd questioned.</p><p>"He wished it all away," Nadakhan smirked.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Impossible</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>10 minutes had passed.</p><p>Nadakhan had disappeared after having his few minutes of pleasure. Watching the ninja panic over what happened to their leader was rather entertaining for the djinn.</p><p>The team had calmed down a little and moved into the main room once again.</p><p>They were trapped. No leader. No powers. No one to help them. And not to mention the lack of team work right now. All they ever did was argue, especially ever since they found out about Nya and Lloyd.</p><p>"What do we do now?" Kai questioned, speaking up for the first time in minutes.</p><p>Cole was sat back on the sofa, his hands in his lap. Nya stood by the doorway, tears in her eyes. Lloyd, Zane and Kai sat at the kitchen table, thinking about where they'd do from here.</p><p>"I just... I don't believe it..." Nya spoke softly.</p><p>Lloyd shook his head, "Neither do I."</p><p>"How do we know if we can trust Nadakhan?" Zane asked, "After everything he's done, maybe he's just tricking us. Maybe he's trying to break us up so we're easier targets?"</p><p>"But what if he isn't tricking us? What if Jay's really gone?" Kai glanced at his nindroid friend, who shrugged.</p><p>The team fell silent once again, not making eye contact with each other. Cole sat with his back to the others, a blank expression on his face. He stared down at the ground in front of him, trying to keep his breathing steady.</p><p>Lloyd looked up at Zane, who gave him a faint smile of support. Lloyd motioned his head, directing both of their heads towards Cole.</p><p>"Cole?" Zane spoke up.</p><p>Cole remained still as if he was just a statue in the middle of the room. He seemed quite lifeless.</p><p>"Are you okay?" The nindroid asked softly.</p><p>"I-" His voice was shaking, "I need to be alone."</p><p>Cole got up and rushed out of the room, leaving the other's with rather concerned looks on their faces.</p><p>"Should we check on him?" Kai questioned.</p><p>"He needs time," Zane sighed. Lloyd nodded in agreement.</p><p> </p><p>Cole ran upstairs, trying to hold back the tears. His heart started to pound, an empty space in his heart. It was like there was a huge pit in his stomach. As he wandered down the corridor, he could really feel the realisation starting to hit him; he hated it. Oh, he hated it so much.</p><p>He reached for the door handle of his room, noticing his shaking hand. He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself, before opening the door and stepping in, keeping his eyes on the floor in front of him. He moved in front of the door and began to close it from behind him as he glanced up, spotting someone stood in the middle of his room.</p><p>He seemed a little taller than Cole. He had short black hair and brown eyes but the he knew <em>exactly</em> who it was.</p><p>Cole froze, his hand still gripped onto the door handle.</p><p>"Close the door," He spoke in a whisper.</p><p>Cole slowly closed the door, not taking his eyes off the person stood in front of him.</p><p>"No one can know that I'm here, especially Nadakhan," He told him.</p><p>"C-Cliff?"</p><p>"Cole-" He responded.</p><p>"How are you here?!" Cole questioned.</p><p>"You have to hide me," Cliff responded.</p><p>"Woah, woah," Cole's hands began to shake again, "Answer my question first."</p><p>"It's a long story," Cliff sighed.</p><p>"And how do I know I can trust you? What if you're just Nadakhan shape-shifting?" Cole raised an eyebrow.</p><p>"I wouldn't do that to you, Cole," The older man sighed, "I just need your help, please."</p><p>Cole's heart pounded. Cliff was the last person he expected to see stood in the middle of his room.</p><p>The master of earth stepped forwards and wrapped his arms around Cliff, hugging him tight. Cliff was a little taken back by the boy's actions but quickly wrapped his arms around him too.</p><p>"I-I missed you, dad," Cole cried, "I thought you were gone forever."</p><p>Cliff froze, "D-Did you just call me... dad?"</p><p>Cole realised what he had said, his eyes widening.</p><p>"I guess I did," Cole chuckled.</p><p>Cliff hugged his son tighter. They never had moments like this before. Even after finding out that Cliff was his birth father, Cole never seemed to treat him like his proper father.</p><p>
  <em>"I'm sure you'll think of something. You always do." Cliff gave him a reassuring smile.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Thanks, dad." Jay smiled back.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Cliff froze, "D-did you just call m-me, d-dad?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Jay scratched the back of his head awkwardly, "y-yeah, I guess I did."</em>
</p><p>They were both similar situations but hearing his sons finally call him dad was such an incredible feeling. He couldn't describe it. It was almost... magical.</p><p>Cole pulled away, a stern look on his face.</p><p>"Does Jay know you're alive?" He asked.</p><p>Cliff shook his head, "Where is he?"</p><p>"He um... Nadakhan took him... kinda," Cole sighed.</p><p>"What?" Cliff's eyes widened.</p><p>"Nadakhan told us like... ten minutes ago that Jay had wished it all away," Cole added.</p><p>"Jay? He's... gone? No..." Cliff stepped back, his eyes beginning to tear up.</p><p>"But we're gonna get him back, I promise," Cole reassured him.</p><p>Cliff glanced at the floor briefly, "How has Jay been since I... y'know..."</p><p>"Um..." Cole replied awkwardly, "Not great."</p><p>"How do you mean?"</p><p>"Well... he blamed himself for everything that happened with your death. Especially with the fact that you wanted to... y'know... end your own life," Cole explained.</p><p>"That wasn't his fault," Cliff stated.</p><p>"He also get framed for it but we managed to fix all that stuff," Cole shrugged, "But he's been doing worse ever since you left."</p><p>"Like how worse?" Cliff gulped.</p><p>"A while ago... I had to stop him from... doing it too," Cole could barely speak the words aloud, "And Nya told us a few days ago that Jay had owned up to self harming again."</p><p>"W-what?" Cliff stuttered, "Oh my goodness... I-I should've been here... Although I doubt he even wants to see me again."</p><p>"Of course he wants to see you! You're all he's wanted ever since your death! He really misses you," Cole responded, "As does Libber."</p><p>"Really?" A smile formed on the older man's face.</p><p>Cole nodded. Cliff chuckled, glancing around the room.</p><p>"I see you guys made yourselves at home here then," Cliff spoke.</p><p>"Yeah... we hope you don't mind," Cole told him.</p><p>"Of course not! I'm glad you guys are staying here," Cliff smiled.</p><p>Cole laughed, "What do you remember?"</p><p>"The last thing that happened when I was with you guys was the fight with Ben at the Wailing Alps and how Jay let him go," Cliff shrugged, "Has anything exciting happened since?"</p><p>Cole sighed, "Oh... so <em>so</em> much has happened."</p><p>Cliff wrapped an arm around his son's shoulder and pulled him into another hug. He'd wanted to be with his family for so long.</p><p> </p><p>Downstairs, the team remained in silence. They didn't really have anything to talk about anymore.</p><p>They had no where to go so even if the city was in danger, they couldn't save them. Kai had texted his parents and Libber to see if they could do anything about getting them out but hadn't heard much from them just yet. It was beginning to get boring and some of them were starting to get restless.</p><p>"Uh, this is stupid!" Kai exclaimed, "We can't just sit around and wait for something to happen."</p><p>"We have no other choice, Kai," Lloyd responded, lifting his head from his hands, "There's nothing for us to do."</p><p>"Nadakhan is out there doing who-knows-what and we're stuck in here sitting around! He's already taken Jay! Who else is he going to take?" Kai exclaimed, jumping up from his chair.</p><p>"He won't stop until he gets what he wants," Zane told him.</p><p>"Jay is who he wants," Nya spoke up quietly, directing everyone's attention to her, "But I don't understand. He's already got Jay..."</p><p>"So he must want something else," Lloyd shrugged.</p><p>"Like what?" Zane frowned.</p><p>"I dunno," Lloyd sighed, "And that's what we're gonna have to find out."</p><p>"Guys..." Cole poked out from the doorway.</p><p>Everyone glanced over to see the master of earth stood rather awkwardly in the doorway.</p><p>"Hey Cole, how are you doing now?" Lloyd asked with a reassuring smile.</p><p>"Um... well... I may have found something - or <em>someone</em> - in my room," Cole replied.</p><p>The team exchanged looks of confusion. Cliff stepped out and stood beside Cole with an awkward smile on his face. As soon as they realised who it was, a mixture of shock and surprise snuck up on their faces.</p><p>"Cliff?!" They all exclaimed in unison.</p><p>"Hey..."</p><p>"How?! What?! When?! Where-" Lloyd panicked.</p><p>"How is this possible?" Zane frowned.</p><p>Kai stepped forward, "Are you sure it's not just Nadakhan? He can shape-shift, remember?"</p><p>"Nope, it's definitely him," Cole chuckled. Cliff smiled.</p><p>"This is... insane," Nya muttered.</p><p>"It's great to see you all again," Cliff grinned.</p><p>"How've you been?" Lloyd beamed.</p><p>"Seriously? That's what you ask a man that is supposed to be dead but is just randomly standing in our living room?!" Kai questioned the green ninja.</p><p>"Um... it used to be my living room, y'know," Cliff crossed his arms.</p><p>"It still makes no sense to me," Kai narrowed his eyes at the movie star.</p><p>Cliff shook it off, as did the rest of the team. They were used to Kai acting like this. He didn't trust anyone.</p><p>"So now we've got a team of six, right?" Zane asked.</p><p>"Nadakhan cannot know I'm here... he cannot know I've escaped," Cliff cut in.</p><p>"How do you mean 'escaped'?" Kai frowned.</p><p>"He faked all our deaths. He captured us and made us his slaves. We never knew his plans as he never trusted us but he used to keep a very close eye on us. I escaped, hoping to find help and bring the other's to safety too," Cliff explained.</p><p>"What do you mean 'us'?" Lloyd raised an eyebrow, "Who's 'us'?"</p><p>"Edna, Ben and Skylor," He responded, "But he let Ben go. Something about a plan?"</p><p>"Right..." Cole muttered, glancing down at the ground.</p><p>"Woah, woah," Kai's eyes widened, "Skylor and Edna?"</p><p>"You mean they're alive?!" Lloyd exclaimed.</p><p>Cliff nodded, "He took me first. Then he brought Skylor and Edna too. I don't know what happened but-"</p><p>"It makes so much sense now," Zane sighed.</p><p>"All that pain we went through... it was all Nadakhan's doing," Kai snarled, "We should've known."</p><p>"At least we know they're alive," Lloyd pointed out.</p><p>"We still need to come up with some sort of plan to get Jay back. We can't take down Nadakhan without him," Nya spoke up again for the first time in practically five minutes.</p><p>Cliff nodded, "I'll be more than happy to help, just as long as Nadakhan doesn't know I'm here. That will end in disaster."</p><p>Cole agreed, "Zane, can you do some research?"</p><p>"Of course," Zane smiled before his entire face went blank, obviously scanning something over his database.</p><p>"So..." Kai spoke up, filling the awkward silence, "How ya been?"</p><p>"Pretty good," Cliff nodded, "You?"</p><p>"Good," Kai coughed.</p><p>There was more silence for a few moments, a few people cleared their throats.</p><p>"I like the new hairstyle," Lloyd told Cliff.</p><p>"Oh, thanks," He smiled, "Thought I could switch it up a bit, y'know?"</p><p>"Looks good on you," Lloyd responded.</p><p>"I've found something," Zane cut in.</p><p>"Oh thank goodness," Lloyd and Kai both let out a sigh of relief.</p><p>"What did you find?" Cole questioned.</p><p>"The only possible way of us getting Jay back is if we bring him back <em>directly</em>," Zane replied.</p><p>"Meaning...?" Kai trailed off.</p><p>"We have to go into the teapot," Nya sighed.</p><p>"How are we gonna do that? We don't even know where it is," Lloyd questioned.</p><p>"Nadakhan keeps it in his lair. I know exactly where but it's well guarded," Cliff shrugged.</p><p>"They'll never let it out of their sight," Kai groaned, "It's gonna be impossible."</p><p>"Not necessarily. If we come up with a detailed and well thought out plan, we could snatch the teapot without anyone noticing," Cliff responded, "Besides, it probably wouldn't be that hard anyway. The guards are easily distracted. Cole and I could head back to his lair and grab it."</p><p>"Good idea but there's one problem," Cole cut in, "How are we gonna get to his lair? We're blocked in here. There's a huge vengestone wall around us, remember?"</p><p>"It's simple. We'll leave the same way I got in," Cliff smiled.</p><p>"What way?" Lloyd frowned.</p><p>"The hole I dug under the wall at the back of the house," Cliff shrugged.</p><p>"Excuse me?" Kai's eyes widened.</p><p>"Oh my goodness," Cole placed his head in his hands in frustration.</p><p>"How did we not think of that?" Zane sighed.</p><p>"But won't Nadakhan see it?" Lloyd questioned.</p><p>"Please, he's too dumb to realise there's a problem with his plan. If we're super sneaky, he won't see us escaping at all," Cliff replied.</p><p>"It's worth a shot," Kai shrugged.</p><p>"But what if you two don't come back or you get caught?" Nya wondered.</p><p>"You'll figure it out," Cole grabbed his father's arm and dragged him to the back door.</p><p>"Great so we just have to sit around here again," Kai rolled his eyes.</p><p>"Actually, we're waiting for them to get back. We know our next steps. That's better than not knowing what to do, right?" Lloyd told him.</p><p>"Hm," Kai grunted, "I suppose so."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Shelter</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"So where is this lair of his?" Cole questioned his father quietly.</p><p>Cliff glanced at his son briefly, "It's not much of a lair but..."</p><p>"Why are we all the way out here?" Cole frowned, looking at his surroundings.</p><p>The two were wandering through the desert at a quick pace. Cliff was leading Cole to who knows where and it made the earth ninja a little worried. What if Cliff was trying to lead him there on purpose so that Nadakhan could catch him. Maybe he was on Nadakhan's side.</p><p>"We're going to his lair, duh," Cliff rolled his eyes jokingly.</p><p>"But what is it doing all the way out here? And besides, we've been walking for ages. I'm sure we would've come across it by now," Cole shrugged.</p><p>Cliff stopped in front of a large skeleton head that looked like it had belonged to a very large creatures hundreds of years ago. Cole glanced at it with narrow eyes, recognising a very familiar symbol on the side of the head.</p><p>"Hey... that's the Samurai X symbol," Cole pointed out.</p><p>Cliff nodded and pushed against it, revealing a button and the head began to lift up slowly.</p><p>"Nadakhan's lair is the Samurai X cave?" Cole questioned.</p><p>"Yep," Cliff replied, "Now be quiet other wise we're gonna get spotted."</p><p>Cole took a deep breath and followed his father down the steps as quiet as mice. It was dark at first but as they got further underground, they reached a light at the bottom of the ever-long staircase. As they got to the bottom, they hid behind a large rock beside the entrance-way and peered round to see Nadakhan with his back to the two. He was talking to someone but it was unclear who.</p><p>Stood on the right of the room was Clancee, Doubloon and Dogshank minding their own business. The rest of the sky pirates were stood on the left.</p><p>"We need to think of a proper plan," The conniving djinn spoke with a hiss, "That's if you're willing to help us."</p><p>"Of course," The other person responded, "I'll do anything to get my revenge."</p><p>Cole glanced at Cliff with wide eyes and a look of shock on his face.</p><p>"What is it?" Cliff whispered.</p><p>"I know that voice..." Cole replied quietly, "I'd know that from anywhere..."</p><p>Cliff frowned, waiting for an answer before someone shouted.</p><p>"WHO'S WHISPERING?!" Flintlocke spoke up, catching everyone's attention. Nadakhan's head darted around as the two quickly ducked behind the rock, desperately hoping they wouldn't get spotted.</p><p>"Crap," Cole muttered under his breath.</p><p>"I told you to be quiet," Cliff whisper-shouted back.</p><p>"We can hear you," Nadakhan snarled, "Show yourself, right this instant or I'll kill you."</p><p>Cliff and Cole shared looks of shock and fright.</p><p>"No sudden noises," Cliff mouthed to his son.</p><p>"Master," Someone else spoke.</p><p>Nadakhan growled and turned to face one of the sky pirates which had just entered the room.</p><p>"What?!" The djinn snapped.</p><p>They cowered a little, taking a step back, "Um... one of the.. the servants es-escaped..."</p><p>"Escaped?! How would they escape?! Weren't you supposed to be keeping guard?" Nadakhan questioned angrily.</p><p>"Y-You called a team meeting a few days ago and he- he must have escaped, sir," They stuttered.</p><p>"Get out of my way," Nadakhan shoved them to the side and headed down to the dungeons, leaving the sky pirates by themselves. Whoever Nadakhan had been talking to previously had also left with them too.</p><p>Cole and Cliff slowly peeked up over the rock again, glancing around the room.</p><p>"Do you see the teapot anywhere?" Cole questioned.</p><p>"No but we're gonna have to get out of here," Cliff responded.</p><p>"What? But we need the teapot to save Jay!" Cole whisper-shouted.</p><p>"We can't risk it. He already knows I've escaped. He'll search the house first and that's where you need to be right now before he finds out you've escaped too," Cliff explained.</p><p>Cole sighed, "Yeah I guess you're right..."</p><p>"We'll worry about Jay another day, but for right now, we need to worry about the safety of the team other wise there'll be no one to save Jay at all," Cliff told him.</p><p> </p><p>The ninja team waited patiently in the main room for the other two to return.</p><p>"Do you really think this thing with the teapot will work?" Kai wondered.</p><p>"I hope so," Lloyd replied.</p><p>"Yeah me too," Nya sighed.</p><p>For the next few minutes, they sat in complete silence. What were they gonna do? Talk about the weather? It's not like they could look outside anyway. If they tried glancing out the windows, they'd just be greeted with a giant wall. What use was it anymore?</p><p>They wanted something to happen so badly and just to their luck, an orange dust cloud appeared right in front of them, startling every single one of them.</p><p>"Hello, <em>ninja</em>," Nadakhan snarled.</p><p>"Seriously?" Kai questioned.</p><p>"Do you have to scare us everytime you feel like you want to cause trouble?" Lloyd rolled his eyes.</p><p>"I'm not here for jokes," Nadakhan replied, "It seems one of my servants has escaped... you don't know anything about that, do you?"</p><p>"Why would we know?" Zane questioned.</p><p>"You've locked us in here," Kai shrugged, "We don't care about what happens to your servants. Besides, I don't blame them for wanting to escape."</p><p>"Hm..." Nadakhan glanced around, "And where is Cole?"</p><p>The team exchanged looks, hoping someone would speak up and cover for him.</p><p>"I'm right here, ponytail," Cole spoke from the doorway, making Nadakhan jump a little.</p><p>"Yes... it seems that you are," He narrowed his eyes at the earth ninja.</p><p>"Is there a specific reason you're here or just want to cause trouble again?" Cole questioned, his arms folded.</p><p>"Hm, nothing important. But I'll be keeping a close eye on you five," Nadakhan glared at them before disappearing again.</p><p>Cole wandered into the room properly and headed over to the table as Cliff walked in too.</p><p>"That was a close one," Cliff breathed a sigh of relief.</p><p>"Did you get the teapot?" Kai asked, sitting forward.</p><p>"We didn't manage to," Cole sighed.</p><p>"What?! How are we supposed to get Jay back?" Nya exclaimed.</p><p>"Nadakhan was already on to us. If we didn't leave when we did, Cole wouldn't have been back in time and he would've caught us in the act. Better safe than sorry," Cliff explained.</p><p>"So now what do we do? We have no way of stopping Nadakhan," Lloyd wondered, sinking back down in his chair.</p><p>Cole shrugged, "We're gonna have to come up with something."</p><p>"I hope we can... and fast," Zane sighed.</p><p> </p><p>Later that evening, Kai, Zane and Cliff had gathered in the living room to discuss a plan. Lloyd was cleaning the kitchen whilst Nya and Cole both went to take a nap.</p><p>"Maybe we could get a group together and try to take Nadakhan down fighting style?" Kai suggested.</p><p>"It'll never work. He's too powerful," Zane responded.</p><p>"He's a lot stronger than he was before," Cliff added.</p><p>"Well do you have any better ideas?" Kai questioned angrily.</p><p>Zane and Cliff exchanged looks before shaking their heads.</p><p>"Exactly," Kai folded his arms and glanced down at the floor.</p><p>The house was silent until a loud, piercing scream filled the rooms. The three jumped before hearing footsteps from the rooms above and someone running down the stairs.</p><p>"What was that?!" Kai exclaimed, standing up and heading to the hallway with the others.</p><p>Nya was stood at the bottom of the staircase, hoping for an answer.</p><p>Cole appeared from the top of the stairs, a confused look on his face.</p><p>"Where's Lloyd?" Zane pointed out.</p><p>They all entered the kitchen to find that Lloyd had disappeared and all that was left was a note on the table.</p><p>"What does it say?" Zane asked as Kai picked it up off the table.</p><p>"It says, <em>I have your friend. If you want him, come and get him</em>," Kai read aloud.</p><p>"Great," Cole groaned, "That's just brilliant."</p><p>"It's f**king Nadakhan, I know it," Kai scrunched the note into a ball and threw it at the wall angrily.</p><p>"What do we do?" Cliff wondered.</p><p>"We're going to get him," Cole responded, leaving the room in frustration.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Can't stop me now</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A pair of brown eyes flickered open, darting around the room frantically. The blonde haired teen blinked multiple times before finally getting used to his dark surroundings.</p><p>Around him was what seemed like a dark, empty hall with a door at the far end behind him and two either side of him.</p><p>The teen continued to look around, trying to make sense of where he was yet it seemed so unfamiliar to him. He'd never seen this place before.</p><p>"Hello?" he called out, not hearing a single thing but the echo of his own voice.</p><p>After a few minutes of complete silence, he glanced down to see himself sat down in a chair, his legs tied to it and his arms wrapped around the back. A large vengestone chain was wrapped around his chest. He tried his best to wriggle free but failed many, many times.</p><p>"Oi, Nadakhan, I know it's you!" he shouted, "Let me go!"</p><p>A deep distant laugh filled the room, almost making the boy jump straight out of his skin.</p><p>"Show yourself!"</p><p>Around 10 seconds later, a figure stepped out from the shadows in front of him, revealing a much taller man with orange skin and a black ponytail.</p><p>"Nadakhan," he snarled, "I knew it."</p><p>"Hello, Lloyd. Strange to see you here," he teased.</p><p>"Let me go. I'm not even the person you should have a problem with. It's Jay you're after. Not me," he responded, trying to break free again.</p><p>"Calm down, greenie," Nadakhan chuckled, "I don't think your friend would be very happy to know that you're throwing him under the bus like that."</p><p>"We all hate you," Lloyd snarled.</p><p>Nadakhan smiled, "don't you think I know that? Oh, you think you're so hard, don't you?"</p><p>"Why do you even care about us anymore? You know you've won. Just leave us alone," Lloyd replied.</p><p>Nadakhan laughed, "Oh, you think <em>I</em> brought you here?"</p><p>"You did. That's why you're stood in front of me," Lloyd frowned.</p><p>"This wasn't my idea. If I had my way, I would've taken the whole team," He told the boy, "This was the work of my sidekick."</p><p>"I didn't think you were the sort of person to listen to what your stupid sky pirates say," Lloyd teased.</p><p>"This wasn't them either," He smiled, "This is someone else. Someone new."</p><p>Lloyd frowned, "who?"</p><p>"Step out, my dear sidekick," Nadakhan smirked, stepping to the side.</p><p>Lloyd stared into the shadows of which Nadakhan had once appeared from. Out stepped a boy around Lloyd's age with auburn hair and bright blue eyes. Yet those eyes were not the eyes he was used to seeing...</p><p>"J-Jay?" Lloyd stuttered, his heart racing.</p><p>Jay stared at Lloyd, his eyes slightly narrowed. Nadakhan smirked at the fear in the green ninja's eyes.</p><p>"Leave us alone," Jay told the djinn.</p><p>Nadakhan took one last look at the boy in the chair, smirked, and left the room via one of the many doors. Jay stood directly in front of his friend, a look of destruction on his face.</p><p>"Okay, now that the stupid djinn is out of the room, what's your plan?" Lloyd asked.</p><p>"Plan?" Jay raised an eyebrow.</p><p>"You're tricking him, right? You're not actually working with him," He responded, "and you lied about getting into the teapot, right? This is part of the plan."</p><p>Jay chuckled, "There is no plan, Lloyd."</p><p>"What do you mean?" Lloyd frowned.</p><p>"I'm not working with <em>you</em> anymore. And I never lied about entering the teapot either. Well, especially since <em>I</em> didn't say anything," Jay explained.</p><p>"I'm confused," Lloyd slumped down in the chair that he couldn't exactly leave.</p><p>"I'm on Nadakhan's team now," he replied.</p><p>"Are you crazy?!" the green ninja exclaimed.</p><p>"Of course not. I'd be crazy to still be working with you," Jay replied, folding his arms.</p><p>"Jay, I honestly can't believe you," Lloyd sat back up, a look of anger on his face.</p><p>"At least Nadakhan actually cares about me," Jay responded quickly.</p><p>"He's not on your side! Don't you remember what he did to you?! He tortured you, Jay! He hurt you and everyone you love! He was going to KILL your family!" Lloyd shouted.</p><p>"So what?! He's not like that anymore! He just wants revenge on bad people, just like I do," Jay yelled back.</p><p>"He's using you, Jay! He doesn't want you on his side because he <em>likes</em> you. He only wants you because he knows that you're the only one that can stop him," Lloyd told him.</p><p>"Yeah and how did that work out last time?!" Jay raised his voice, "Look, this was <em>my</em> decision, okay? It has nothing to do with you."</p><p>"It has everything to do with me. You're supposed to be my friend. You're supposed to be the leader of the team!" Lloyd replied.</p><p>"Friend? Friends don't sleep with each other's partners," Jay snarled.</p><p>Lloyd fell quiet, "At least let me explain. Please."</p><p>"You have two minutes," Jay broke eye contact with him, "Nothing more."</p><p>Lloyd nodded and took a deep breath, "It all started the night you were taken to Kryptarium for 'killing Cliff'. Nya wanted to believe that you didn't do it but a part of her did. I found her later that night in her bedroom. She had a bottle of alcohol, I can't exactly remember what it was, but she seemed quite drunk. I stayed with her, hoping to comfort her. We talked things through and she was a <em>mess</em>. We spoke for hours and I had a drink too. But then things... escalated and it just happened."</p><p>Jay looked away, tears filling in his eyes. It hurt to hear this. Not just the fact that his wife and his friend <em>slept</em> <em>together</em> behind his back but also the fact that Nya had actually believed he'd killed his own father. He thought she was better than that.</p><p>"We woke up the next morning absolutely terrified about what we had done. It was beyond our control, the alcohol had taken over us. We talked it through and agreed to never mention it ever again, especially to you. She didn't want to lose you, and we knew you didn't want to lose her either," Lloyd continued.</p><p>In a way, he did feel for his wife. It must've been a stressful and terrifying situation for both her and Lloyd. But at the same time, he hated them both for it. At least Nya had sweet intentions in the end.</p><p>"When Nya found out she was pregnant, she came straight to me, crying. She was scared of losing you and of you finding out. Again, we talked about it and we agreed to lie and say it was for you since you had said you wanted a family in the future. Nya knew it was too soon for you to be parents but couldn't live with the thought of her getting an abortion. It wasn't the best idea but we'd at least hoped the secret wouldn't get out," Lloyd finished, "Jay, I'm really sorry."</p><p>Jay sighed, "I appreciate you being honest with me, Lloyd. But you can't use the excuse of the alcohol taking over. Not sleeping with someone else's partner is common sense."</p><p>"Jay, you have to understand that-" Lloyd began.</p><p>"I can't deal with this right now," He turned his back to the green ninja.</p><p>"Jay, just let me out of here, please," Lloyd pleaded, "I'll leave and never come back."</p><p>"I didn't bring you here to have a little chat, Lloyd," Jay spoke, his voice raspy.</p><p>"Then why did you bring me here?" He questioned.</p><p>"To get my revenge," Jay replied, turning back to him. Lloyd glanced down, noticing a small blade in his hand.</p><p>"Jay-" Lloyd gulped, "This isn't you. You're being controlled. The team need you. We're nothing without you. Cole and Nya love you."</p><p>Jay laughed, "No amount of lies is gonna stop me from getting what I want."</p><p>"I'm not lying. Why would I lie to you?" He asked, his heart pounding through his chest and Jay began circling him slowly.</p><p>"It's all you ever seem to do. I need to put an end to all that you've caused, Lloyd," Jay replied.</p><p>"No you don't," Lloyd attempted to break free from the chair again, "If you do this, if you hurt me, no one will ever forgive you."</p><p>"Do you really think I care about that? I know they all already hate me, so why not end it with a bang, right?" Jay snarled.</p><p>"Listen to me, Nadakhan has been lying to you this whole time. He faked the deaths of Ben, Skylor, your mom and your dad," Lloyd rushed, "I've seen Cliff, trust me."</p><p>Jay chuckled, "You can't trick me now, Lloyd."</p><p>"Go to the dungeons, you'll find Skylor and Edna there, I promise! Cliff helped us! He and Cole were here a few days ago!" Lloyd exclaimed.</p><p>"No he wasn't; he's dead," Jay replied quietly, his voice shaking, "Besides, I'm following in his footsteps, right? He tried to kill me because I was unwanted; a waste of space. So now I'm going to do the same with you."</p><p>"Your father would hate to see you like this. He'd be disappointed," Lloyd spoke sternly.</p><p>"DON'T BRING HIM INTO THIS," Jay shoved the knife in Lloyd's face, causing him to flinch back, closing his eyes tight. Jay's breathing was heavy. He stepped back a minute and continued walking around the chair until he was stood directly in front of Lloyd. He then turned his back to him and sighed.</p><p>"Please, Jay, this isn't you. Think about it. Killing is murder. You can go to prison for life. It's not worth it for one simple mistake. Please, Jay. Don't do it. You're better than that and you know it," Lloyd pleaded.</p><p>Jay peered at Lloyd over his shoulder. What was he going to do?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Story of my life</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A few hours had passed since Lloyd went missing. The ninja team and Cliff ran all the way to the sea of sands to the Samurai X cave, where Nadakhan had set up his new lair.</p><p>The team were quite worried about how they would find Lloyd when they arrived but trusted that he could take care of himself. They knew Nadakhan wouldn't hurt them. He was after the whole team after all.</p><p>Maybe this was a trap...</p><p>They stopped outside the cave and turned to each other, waiting to see who would go first.</p><p>"I can't believe they've taken over my old Samurai X cave," Nya pouted.</p><p>"Yeah I thought they had better taste than that," Kai joked.</p><p>Nya shot her brother an angry look before glancing at Cole, "So what do we do now?"</p><p>"I don't know... we never really thought of a plan," Cole shrugged.</p><p>"Well go in there and get Lloyd then," Cliff told him, a little frustrated.</p><p>"Why can't you do it?" Kai spoke up.</p><p>"Because if Nadakhan sees me, he'll kill me and anyone involved in my escape. Which means you four too," Cliff explained.</p><p>"He has a point," Zane responded, nodding.</p><p>Cole sighed, "Fine, I'll go in there. Kai comes with me and you three keep watch out here."</p><p>"Who put you in charge?" Kai folded his arms.</p><p>"You got a better plan?" Cole raised an eyebrow.</p><p>Kai stood there thinking for a moment. The team stared at him before he sighed and shook his head.</p><p>"Stick to the plan or it won't work," Cole told them before signalling Kai to enter the cave with him.</p><p>The two wandered down the stairs to see a door at the bottom of the staircase. They glanced at each other briefly before Cole gently twisted the door handle and opened the door, hoping not to cause too much of a dramatic entrance.</p><p>The two stood there in shock as they fixed their eyes on the scene across the room. Lloyd was lead on the floor, his back to them, still as a statue. Jay stood above him, a knife in his hand. His eyes were bright blue, a few lightning bolts on his face and neck as if he had just survived a lightning strike.</p><p>"No..." Cole muttered, his voice cracking.</p><p>Kai stood there in shock, not wanting to believe it.</p><p>Jay glanced up, a look of anger on his face. It didn't even fall when he spotted his friend and brother.</p><p>"J-Jay?" Cole gulped, "How are you here?"</p><p>"I knew it wouldn't take long for you to show up," he bellowed.</p><p>"What?" Kai spoke quietly.</p><p>Jay laughed menacingly, "You're pretty much just asking to drop like flies at this point."</p><p>"What are you talking about?" Kai asked again, briefly looking at Cole.</p><p>The earth ninja was still stood there, unable to move. His brother was the last person he expected to be there and to be stood over Lloyd's most likely dead body. Jay was never the type to hurt anyone and to see him like this... to see him in this situation... it hurt. It hurt so damn much.</p><p>"I don't understand..." Cole croaked, "You're supposed to be in the teapot..."</p><p>Kai looked into Cole's eyes, spotting the fear and sadness taking over.</p><p>"I guess you were lied to then, weren't you?" He smirked.</p><p>Kai and Cole exchanged looks for a brief moment, hurt in both of their eyes. There was no way this was real.</p><p>"What has he done to you..." Cole muttered, tears building up in his eyes.</p><p>"Nadakhan?" Jay questioned, "This was nothing to do with him. This was all my doing. Besides, you think the djinn did this to me? No. It was <em>you</em>."</p><p>"Us?" Kai frowned, "Don't be so stupid. Nadakhan's obviously brainwashed you."</p><p>"You think I'm joking? You need an explanation?" Jay began, "After what both Nya and Lloyd did and then <em>keeping</em> <em>it</em> from me... You think this wasn't their fault? Or what about you, Kai, trying to 'fix things', 'calm me down', by <em>kissing</em> me? That wasn't your fault? Or how about the promise Cole made me? The promise about never leaving my side. The promise about always being there for me no matter what. <em>That</em> wasn't your fault?"</p><p>The two boys fell silent, breaking eye contact with their friend. As much as they hated to admit it, he had a point. But it still didn't explain how and why this was all happening.</p><p>"Jay..." Cole spoke quietly, his voice weak, a tear slowly falling down his cheek.</p><p>"You were supposed to be there for me but when I needed you most, you weren't," Jay cut in, "You knew how hurt I was about what happened between Nya and Lloyd and yet you didn't even try to help me."</p><p>"This has nothing to do with me!" Cole cried, "None of that was my fault! I shouldn't have to deal with something or get involved in what isn't my problem! It's not worth it."</p><p>"Are you being serious right now?!" Jay shouted, "Don't you remember what you said to me when I found out we were brothers?! 'The least you could do is comfort me. I honestly thought you were better than that, Jay. I have always supported you and now you go and do this.'"</p><p>Cole's face fell. Everything he had said that day was fake. It was a cover up to try and gain Ben's trust. To be able to get involved in the plan. To be able to stop their enemy. And now Jay was using his very own words against him whether they were truly meant or not. It just goes to show how much a simple word or two can hurt someone.</p><p>"Or what about the time when I tried to support you after losing Ben and you lashed out at me? Or maybe when I came to check on you after Ben left again? Don't you remember what you said? How you tried to push me away?" Jay questioned, "Every time you've had a problem with Ben, I've always been there for you. I've <em>always</em> supported you even when it <em>'wasn't my problem'</em>. And yet all those times, you turned it around on me."</p><p>Kai glanced at Cole, who looked petrified. It never occurred to any of them that Cole was doing this. Yet they had all seen it and hadn't commented on it...</p><p>Cole didn't know what to say. He had no argument. He had no valid reasons. He'd called Jay stupid and selfish so many times and now that all this was being pushed in his face, he had nothing to say. He had nowhere to hide. Jay was right.</p><p>"I've lost so many people. My dad, my mom, my friends, Nya...<em> so many</em>... and yet I don't recall you ever properly talking to me about it the same way that I did with you and Ben. Every time I needed to talk, I couldn't. You always made it about <em>you</em>. You always make the same stupid promise to me that you'll be there for me no matter what.<em> 'We're brothers</em>', you say. '<em>We stick together</em>'. But do we?" A tear fell down the lightning ninja's cheek.</p><p>Cole glanced at the floor, tears falling one by one down his face onto his ninja gi. The pain he had caused his brother was finally becoming apparent to him. Why had he done this? He never meant to, of course. But he had without even realising.</p><p>"Yeah... now you have nothing to say," Jay spoke quietly, trying to hold back more of his tears.</p><p>"Jay..." Cole cried, "I am so, <em>so</em> sorry. I never meant for you to feel that way. I've just been so caught up in what's been happening lately. It's messing with my head. I-"</p><p>"No, no, Cole," Jay stopped in, frustrated, "You're doing it again. You're acting like the innocent one. You're making up stupid excuses again. You can't take responsibility for something that was <em>your</em> fault. But it's all okay if you haven't done anything wrong, right?"</p><p>"Jay, just please tell us Lloyd is alive," Kai spoke up, trying to ease the tension in the room.</p><p>"What do you think?" Jay looked down at Lloyd's dead body, "Does he look very alive to you?"</p><p>The two boys glanced down, observing the green ninja's body closely. After a few moments, Kai looked away, tears layering his eyes.</p><p>"He's not breathing..." Cole murmured.</p><p>Kai turned back to Jay, a look of anger on his face, "YOU KILLED HIM!"</p><p>"So what?!" Jay yelled back, "It's not like anyone's gonna miss him!"</p><p>"OF COURSE WE'RE GOING TO MISS HIM," Kai shouted, "HE'S OUR FRIEND! HE HAS A FAMILY, JAY!"</p><p>"How can you still be his friend after what he did to me?! After impregnating your sister!" Jay exclaimed.</p><p>"Lloyd was like a brother to me! He probably would've been a better dad than you could ever be! Besides, I'd rather Lloyd marry my sister anyway. At least he knows how to look after himself and <em>his</em> team," Kai snarled.</p><p>"Kai-" Cole cut him off.</p><p>"No, Cole, you know I'm right. Why would anyone in their right mind want to be with <em>Jay</em>? A crazy lunatic, with a stupid imagination. Not to mention he's a <em>murderer</em>," Kai told Cole.</p><p>"I guess it runs in the family then, doesn't it?" Jay responded, "My dad tried to kill me to get rid of any unwanted people in this world. I'm just following in his footsteps, right? I've become just like the <em>horrible</em> and <em>sinful</em> man he is. I was a mistake, just like Cliff was."</p><p>Kai grabbed Cole's arm and pulled him away, "Let's get out of here before he kills us too."</p><p>Cole stared at Jay for a moment, a saddened expression on his face. He felt betrayed. Unloved. And unworthy of his brother. All of this was his fault. Jay wasn't being controlled. All of the pain he had been through was finally catching up to him and it was hitting him hard. The realisation of how unimportant he was to his teammates and family was destroying him little by little until a huge bolder, the weight of the world, had crushed his back and completely ripped apart both his heart and his self-esteem.</p><p>Now that Jay had no one left to turn to, the hole in his already-aching heart grew wider and wider with every tear that escaped his heavy eyes. He wasn't wrong. This world truly hated him and it wasn't scared to show it. It was time for his revenge. And he couldn't wait to get started.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. You broke me first</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kai and Cole began running back up the stairs, desperately hoping Jay wouldn't follow them. Whatever happened to him whilst he was alone with Nadakhan was serious. It frightened them both so much to see him like that since he was usually so kind and caring.</p><p>Cole didn't know what to think. Had he really done this to his brother? The person he cared about the most? He'd always tried to be the best and support Jay but to know that he was just being selfish and thoughtless all this time really broke his heart.</p><p>Kai couldn't get the sight of his best friend's dead body out of his head. How could he have let this happen? He could've at least been warned so he knew what to expect. And not to mention he hadn't even tried to help the green ninja.</p><p>Just as the two ninja were turning the corner on the stairs, a very distraught Cliff came into sight.</p><p>"Cliff?" Kai spoke with a whisper.</p><p>He didn't say anything, he glanced at them slowly, tears in his eyes. He looked absolutely terrified. Just as Cole opened his mouth to say something, Cliff ran off, worrying them both. This situation was serious. <em>Very</em> serious.</p><p>Kai and Cole sprinted up the rest of the stairs and back outside to where Zane and Nya were. They both have confused expressions upon their faces and were quite relieved as they spotted the red and black ninja.</p><p>"Do you know what's wrong with Cliff? He just ran off," Nya told them, worry in her voice.</p><p>"We need to get out of here," Kai replied.</p><p>"Why? What happened?" Nya frowned.</p><p>"Where's Lloyd?" Zane questioned.</p><p>"I'll explain later, but right now, we need to go," Kai demanded, beginning to run off, Cole following closely behind.</p><p>"But we need to get Lloyd," Zane reminded him.</p><p>"Jay killed him," Kai blurted out.</p><p>Both Nya and Zane froze before exchanging a look of confusion.</p><p>"Now let's go!" Kai shouted, sprinting off.</p><p>After running miles and miles back into the city and past many confused people, they managed to arrive back at the mansion. They were very tired and out of breath but were able to calm down within a few minutes.</p><p>"Are you joking?" Nya questioned.</p><p>"No, why would I joke about Lloyd being dead?!" Kai exclaimed.</p><p>"It just doesn't make sense..." Zane frowned, "Jay's in the teapot, isn't he?"</p><p>"Apparently not," Kai groaned, "He was stood right there, over Lloyd's dead body, with a knife."</p><p>"And you didn't think to stop him?!" Nya yelled.</p><p>"I couldn't! Jay would've killed us too! Besides, Lloyd was already gone..." Kai responded angrily. It was unclear whether he was mad at his sister for asking so many questions or whether he was more mad at himself for letting Jay get away with it.</p><p>Cole stood by the door of the living room, trying to come to terms with what had happened. It still confused him. He was still in shock. His heart raced and his head boomed.</p><p>"Look, I'm confused too but... we need to find some way to stop both him <em>and</em> Nadakhan now," Kai sighed.</p><p>"What did that evil djinn do to my husband?" She snarled.</p><p>"I don't think Nadakhan did anything..." Cole muttered.</p><p>Everyone turned to look at Cole with confused expressions. He was just staring blankly at the floor as if the whole world had stopped around him.</p><p>"What do you mean?" Zane asked him.</p><p>"What Jay was saying... it was coming from <em>him</em> not from something Nadakhan had whispered in his ear. He was right about me. Everything he was saying... it was harsh but true. I've never been there for him. I don't think that's Nadakhan's doing. It's realisation..." He murmured.</p><p>"But that doesn't explain why he'd kill Cole," Nya shrugged.</p><p>"He killed Lloyd because he got his wife pregnant," Kai rolled his eyes.</p><p>Nya fell silent. Cole glanced up with a frown and looked around the room.</p><p>"I'm gonna go check if Cliff is upstairs..." Cole stated quietly before leaving the room.</p><p>Wandering across the corridor upstairs, the master of earth sighed. All was silent. His thoughts were all over the place. This was all his fault. If he'd been there for Jay like he should have been, Lloyd wouldn't be dead. Jay wouldn't hate him. Cole was next for sure...</p><p>Just as he was walking past his bedroom, he spotted the door was wide open. He peered inside to see Cliff trying to climb through the window - just like the same way he'd gotten in.</p><p>"Cliff?!" Cole exclaimed, stopping in the doorway.</p><p>Cliff stopped dead in his tracks, one leg out the window. He glanced at his son and sighed.</p><p>"I was hoping I wouldn't get caught..." He groaned, getting back in the room properly.</p><p>"You were going to leave again?" Cole frowned.</p><p>Cliff sighed again, "What other choice do I have?"</p><p>"Loads of other choices," Cole shrugged, "Like staying here to help us. You know all the intel on where Nadakhan is and what he's doing. We need you."</p><p>"But Jay obviously doesn't. You heard what he said. He thinks I'm 'sinful' and 'horrible' and... and..." He gulped, trying to hold back the tears, "'a mistake'...."</p><p>Cole fell quiet, not sure what to say. Yeah, Jay may have hated his guts, but it didn't mean he had to run away.</p><p>"You have no idea how hard I had to work to make everything right. What I did to Jay was <em>horrific</em> and I don't blame him for not forgiving me but hearing those words leave his mouth it... it hurts. It hurts to hear that from my <em>son</em>. My own son thinks I'm a failure," Cliff explained, a tightness in his chest, "Jay doesn't need me here. I'm just a bad influence on him and he'd be much better off without me. You were wrong to think he'd be happy to see me."</p><p>"But you can't just give up," Cole spoke up.</p><p>"I have nothing else to rely on. I have no one else..." Cliff sighed, "So I need to go. I'm sorry."</p><p>Cliff turned his back to Cole and headed back towards the window, desperately hoping he wouldn't be stopped for a third time. Maybe someone would finally understand why he had to leave.</p><p>It hurt to see Jay. It hurt to see anyone, especially with knowing how everyone felt about him. Cliff had worked so, so hard to change. He'd taken the decision to leave before and it seemed to make everyone a lot happier. At least to him... Of course he wanted to be with Jay, <em>his son</em>, but he also couldn't be around if he was paining him. If that's how he acted when he only <em>thought</em> of his father, imagine what would happen if he found out he was alive, or if he was stood right in front of his eyes. The only thing Cliff wanted now was to stop hurting his son no matter how badly he wanted to hug him. Leaving was the only thing he could do.</p><p>"Jay's not your only son," Cole raised his voice, "What about me?"</p><p>Cliff stopped dead in front of the window, his heart almost skipping a beat.</p><p>"I know the whole conversation I just had with Jay was about me always thinking about myself but..." He paused, "I'm not the one being selfish here."</p><p>Cliff turned back around slowly to face the earth ninja, "Cole-"</p><p>"You <em>always</em> put Jay first. I can't remember the last time you've treated both me and Hayley with the respect we deserve. I know you have a lot to make up for with Jay but he's not your only child! Jay might not want you but I certainly do and I know Hayley does as well. So for once stop thinking about yourself or Jay and think about <em>us</em>. Because... I'm your son too..." Tears began to build up in Cole's eyes.</p><p>Yes, the earth ninja had never acted like Cliff was his birth father but he still meant something to him. They had become closer ever since he'd returned and now that he was leaving just because of <em>Jay's</em> feelings again really made Cole feel unwanted and unloved. He hoped things would be different this time yet it was just the same old story.</p><p>"Jay does want you here, trust me. What he said back there was uncalled for but it wasn't him. Someone or something had taken advantage of him and it shows. Jay is so much better than that and you know it. He's specifically said to me that all he wanted was to be able to hug you again," Cole explained, "He does want you, Cliff. Once he finds out about you being alive, he'll be the happiest person on the planet. You just can't let this get to you. This is exactly what Nadakhan wants."</p><p>Cliff frowned, "He really said that?"</p><p>"Yes," Cole sighed, "Just don't leave, please."</p><p>"But after all the pain I caused Jay-"</p><p>"Stop! Just stop!" Cole shouted.</p><p>Cliff fell silent. He didn't mean to upset anyone. He only wanted what was best for those he cared about but sometimes his thoughts and feelings got the better of him.</p><p>"You may have hurt Jay but he doesn't care about that anymore. He forgives you. And that's all you seem to care about! You don't even take Hayley and I into consideration. It's like we're invisible to you. After everything this family has been through, this is how you treat us?! I know you didn't want children from the beginning but you have to at least act as if we exist. You're still our father and we're still your children," Cole yelled, "Not everything is about Jay!"</p><p>A tear fell down Cliff's cheek. To see his son so upset like this was truly heartbreaking. What Cole was saying was true. It had really taken this to make him realise.</p><p>"I love Jay with all my heart, I really do but ever since I joined the team, Jay has always been one of the top priorities. It was like he was always Wu's favourite. And he and Kai would always hang out. Zane wanted to spend all his spare time hanging out with Jay and I was just left on the sidelines. Just when Nya and I were becoming good friends, she messed everything up with the love triangle and it only tore Jay and I apart," Cole explained, "When Jay became my best friend, I thought everything would be perfect. But when all of this stuff with Nadakhan started, all of the attention was suddenly on Jay. He's been through a lot, I get that. But we all have. I am the <em>last person</em> anyone ever seems to care about and I'm sick of it. I just wish that someone, <em>anyone</em>, cared about <em>me</em> for once. Especially you."</p><p>"Cole... I am so sorry..." Cliff cried.</p><p>"You're not though. Because if you <em>actually</em> cared, you'd show it," A single tear escaped Cole's eye, "If you leave, then you're abandoning <em>me</em>."</p><p>The last thing Cliff ever wanted to do was abandon anyone else. He always regretted leaving Jay and Hayley and not being there for them and to now know that he was doing the same thing with Cole really made his heart ache. He never wanted this to happen. He always assumed Cole was fine with his family. He had Lou. But he never even thought about how he felt about his birth father. He was wrong to assume things.</p><p>"I have no other choice, Cole..." Cliff sobbed, "You are my son, Cole, and you will <em>always</em> be my son. But I have to go. I can't risk hurting anyone else. And as long as I am here, I'm hurting you too. I will always love you, Cole. Don't forget that."</p><p>"If you loved me, you wouldn't leave," He cried.</p><p>Cliff stepped towards his son and took his hand into his. Cole pushed him away but Cliff was having none of it.</p><p>"I've always been so proud of you, Cole. And I know you can fix all of this," Cliff told him through tears.</p><p>Cliff leaned forward and quickly kissed his son on the forehead before wandering back to the window. He gave Cole a small smile of reassurance before beginning to climb out the window.</p><p>"I hate you," Cole snarled. Cliff didn't react. He just kept going. He climbed onto the roof below and jumped down onto the ground and glanced back up to the bedroom window, hoping to see Cole. But instead he was just met with the slamming of the window and the curtains closing quickly.</p><p>Cliff hated letting him down but he had to. He had no other choice.</p><p>Cole fell to the cold floor, hitting his knees on the hard floorboards. He cried and cried for what felt like forever. Not only had he lost his brother but he'd lost his father too. And it hurt. It hurt so much.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Shallow</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Good job, Jay."</p><p>The lightning elemental glanced at the malevolent djinn through the corner of his eye. There was that evil grin plastered across his face that sent shivers down everyone's spine. But not Jay's. Not now anyway.</p><p>"I have one more job for you," He continued, a snarl in his tone.</p><p>Jay didn't say anything. Not only had he just <em>killed</em> someone but he had turned his entire family and his friends against him. There was no coming back from that.</p><p>"It's obvious that Cole is only causing you pain. And that isn't what you need right now. You can't just ignore him for the rest of your life. So there's only one thing you can do," Nadakhan grinned.</p><p>"What are you suggesting?" Jay spoke in a hushed tone, his voice shaky and cracked.</p><p>"You need to get Cole out of your way. If you want to take over Ninjago then you-" He began.</p><p>"Woah, woah," Jay stepped in, speaking louder this time, "I never said anything about taking over Ninjago. That's your problem, not mine."</p><p>The djinn sighed, "I know, I know. If <em>I</em> want to take over Ninjago then you have to get rid of those that are in the way. That stupid team aren't helping, are they? So if you kill them off one by one..."</p><p>"Kill them? Kill them <em>all</em>? Not all of them have hurt me. I've killed who I wanted to kill. And Lloyd deserved it," Jay cut in.</p><p>"That's where you're wrong, Mr Walker," Nadakhan began pacing the room, "Don't you remember how they blamed you for everything that happened with Cole?"</p><p>"No...?" Jay frowned.</p><p>"After Cole died, I overheard them talking about how horrible you were whilst you were in your room. You probably crying so I doubt you would've heard them anyway," Nadakhan smiled.</p><p>"They did that?" Jay questioned, hurt in his voice.</p><p>Nadakhan nodded, "On multiple occasions. Or what about when you framed yourself for his death because you couldn't deal with the pressure of society? When the team found out about you self harming, they <em>hated</em> you. They didn't want anything to do with you. Ben, your <em>worst enemy</em>, was the only one that cared but only because he knew how strong you were and how you belonged on <em>my</em> side. Those pathetic ninja have always taken you for granted and never cared for you either. So, yes, they do deserve to be killed."</p><p>Jay thought for a moment. He was hesitant about hurting the team. They had always looked out for him. But after hearing all these things they were supposedly saying and doing behind his back, he wasn't sure whether all this hope and faith had all been but a hoax. Maybe they had just been using him for his powers.</p><p>"But... I can't kill them... they're my family," Jay paused.</p><p>Nadakhan burst into fits of laughter, "Oh Jay, you're so funny!"</p><p>"W-Why are you laughing?" Jay raised an eyebrow.</p><p>The djinn took a moment to calm himself down before looking back over at Jay. His face fell.</p><p>"Oh you were being serious?" Nadakhan frowned.</p><p>Jay nodded a little.</p><p>"Well, Jay, sometimes in this world you don't always get what you want. So you either do as I say or... or I'll just have to kill <em>you</em> instead," Nadakhan gave him an innocent smile.</p><p>As much as Jay hated to admit it, Nadakhan was right. The team had only ever caused him pain and there was only one way to put an end to it. The world was a cruel place. It was full of bad people and people who only want to cause harm. But the way Nadakhan was describing it made it seem more fun and exciting. Jay was in it for the long run.</p><p>"Who's first on my list then?" Jay wondered.</p><p>"Your brother, Cole," Nadakhan stated sternly, "<em>Kill him</em>."</p><p> </p><p>The ninja rushed through the city streets, ignoring anyone who called their name or asked for help. They had more important things to worry about right now.</p><p>After Cliff left, the team got together and devised a plan. Now that they knew about Jay, the villains were sure to come after them so they needed all hands on deck. The four of them alone were no match for both Nadakhan and Jay.</p><p>They sprinted into the police station, out of breath, and panicked. About seven police officers noticed them enter, already knowing something had gone on. That's the only reason they'd be there.</p><p>"What happened this time?" The Police Commissioner questioned, bags under his eyes.</p><p>"It's Jay," Kai spoke, almost out of breath.</p><p>"Jay?" He raised an eyebrow, "Not Ben?"</p><p>"Heh, not this time," Cole rolled his eyes.</p><p>"Jay's turned evil," Nya cut in, "And he's killed Lloyd."</p><p>The Police Commissioner stepped back in shock, "What? Is this some kind of prank?"</p><p>"And he's bound to be after us. We need all the help we can get to fight Nadakhan's crew and Jay. They're strong. <em>Really</em> strong," Zane stated.</p><p>The PC turned around to look for someone to help. Nya glanced at her brother briefly, hoping for at least a smile of reassurance. She gave him a small smile but he instantly turned away and gritted his teeth. He couldn't bare the sight of her.</p><p>"Ah, George, come over here please," The P.C shouted.</p><p>A tall, quite muscular man with light brown hair and slightly toned skin approached from the other side of the room, wearing his police uniform which made him look strong and scary. He held a clipboard tight in his hands. As he walked over, he glanced at Cole with a smile.</p><p>"Hey P.C, what's up?" He smiled, a weak Scottish tone in his voice.</p><p>"George, these are the ninja I was telling you about," The P.C told him, "They're gonna need some help with Nadakhan."</p><p>George turned to the team with a bright smile, "I'm George, I'm new to the job."</p><p>The team stood there awkwardly whilst the police officer held his hand out in front of Cole. The earth ninja gave him a small smile before taking his hand and shaking it.</p><p>"I'm Cole and these are my friends Kai, Zane and Nya," He returned the smile.</p><p>"It's a pleasure to meet you," George responded.</p><p>"So George, if you can take Cole to one of the investigation rooms for questioning and I'll get these guys to a room too," The P.C told him.</p><p>"Sure thing," George replied before turning to Cole, "Follow me."</p><p>The two wandered down the hall and to the first investigation room. The lights were dimmed and Cole sat down in the chair opposite George. The police officer placed the clipboard down on the table, ready to take notes.</p><p>"So, who's the villain this time?" George asked.</p><p>"Have you been filled in with what's happened so far?"</p><p>"Oh, I know years worth of knowledge about this place. The P.C made sure I knew <em>everything</em>. This police must get busy," George smiled.</p><p>Cole nodded, "Well, there's Nadakhan, as you know.. but on his side is also now Jay, my brother, who we-"</p><p>"Thought was in the teapot?" George questioned.</p><p>Cole frowned, "Yeah... but when we turned up at the Samurai X cave, where Nadakhan's lair is, Lloyd was lead on the ground and Jay was towering over him with a knife."</p><p>"So.. Jay is a murderer?" George asked.</p><p>"No! Jay is anything but a murderer! He'd never hurt anyone," Cole exclaimed.</p><p>"But he killed someone, didn't he? That's the <em>definition</em> of a murderer," George spoke awkwardly.</p><p>Cole sighed, "I know I just... don't want to admit it..."</p><p>George put his pen down and leaned forward with a smile, "Looks like you could do with some cheering up."</p><p>Cole smiled a little, "I guess you could say that.. It's been tough recently."</p><p>"I know I'm a complete stranger but.. do you wanna talk about it?" He wondered.</p><p>Cole thought for a minute. George was obviously just trying to be nice. And maybe talking to a 'complete stranger' would help.</p><p>"Too much has happened... there isn't enough time in the day to explain everything," Cole joked.</p><p>"Is it anything to do with your crazy ex by any chance?" George asked awkwardly.</p><p>Cole glanced up quickly, "What?"</p><p>"Sorry, the P.C told me everything that happened with him and stuff and I.. I dunno, I shouldn't have brought it up, I'm sorry," George panicked slightly.</p><p>"No, it's okay. I'm over him anyway. I just want to move on from him, y'know?" Cole shrugged.</p><p>"Do you still love him?" George wondered.</p><p>Cole paused and sighed, "I used to. But not anymore. I have no reason to love him."</p><p>"Y'know.. I may not be an electrician but I can always lighten your day," George smiled.</p><p>Cole grinned, glancing down at his hands awkwardly.</p><p>"Thanks, I really appreciate it," Cole replied quietly.</p><p>"Anyways, so you've come to the police department with this because...?" George continued, picking up the pen again.</p><p>"Now that Jay knows about us well... knowing.. he'll come after us, especially me. I've caused him the most pain. I'm surprised he killed Lloyd instead of me," He sighed.</p><p>"Well I won't let Jay hurt anyone else, don't worry," George responded, "Do you have any idea why Jay is acting like this?"</p><p>"I don't know... I mean, we kinda just assumed Nadakhan was controlling him but Jay told us otherwise. Kinda.." Cole shrugged.</p><p>"Did you notice anything different about his appearance or clothing or-" George began.</p><p>"Yes! Oh my goodness, how could I forget?! His eyes were bright blue and there were lightning bolts that looked almost like stains or scars on his face and neck. It was weird..." He cut in.</p><p>"I see... I've seen this before in my old town. If you are struck by lightning and manage to survive, you get this lightning pattern on you. I'm not entirely sure how it works since I'm terrible with kind of stuff but it actually looks pretty cool. But it's also incredibly painful. You often get third degree burns when you're struck by lightning so it's unlikely that you'd survive but do you think that could be possible with Jay?" George explained.</p><p>Cole sat forward, "You are a genius! Jay is the master of lightning so it makes sense! He is being controlled but not by Nadakhan."</p><p>"Maybe his powers are too strong for him to handle," George suggested.</p><p>Cole slammed his hands down on the table and stood up, "When he left, he was so angry that his evolved powers were taking over him. They were a lot stronger than I'd ever seen before. Jay must've been so angry that his powers took control over him, leaving the patterns on his face!"</p><p>George smiled, "I think you're right."</p><p>Cole's face quickly fell as he sat back down, "But how are we gonna save him? If I get anywhere near him, he'll kill me too."</p><p>"It shouldn't be that hard, surely I can just arrest him or something," George shrugged.</p><p>"Evolved powers aren't something to be messed with, George, trust me, I have them too," Cole replied, "You have to be careful."</p><p>George sighed, "Then what are we gonna do?"</p><p>"The only person I can think of that could change him back is my father but he left and I have no idea if he'll ever come back," He responded awkwardly.</p><p>"Then we better come up with a different plan," George told him.</p><p>Cole leaned back in his chair and nodded, thinking hard.</p><p>How would they stop Jay and put everything right if they couldn't even get close to him? And how could they do it without hurting him?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. One more night</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"We should focus on stopping Nadakhan first. I think Jay will be tougher to control," Cole told the team.</p><p>The ninja were sat in the meeting room of the police station. The team of 4 gathered around the large table along with the Police Commissioner and George.</p><p>"We don't need to <em>control</em> Jay, we need to bring him back to reality and realise what Nadakhan is doing to him," Kai folded his arms.</p><p>"And I already explained this, Kai. Nadakhan barely has anything to do with him. Jay's realising how much we've hurt him," Cole replied, "And besides, George and I may have another possible reason as to why he's like this."</p><p>"What do you have in mind?" Nya raised an eyebrow.</p><p>"When Kai and I went into the Samurai X cave and saw Jay, he wasn't himself," Cole began.</p><p>"Yeah, no shit Sherlock," Kai rolled his eyes.</p><p>"I mean, his eyes were brighter and he had weird patterns on his skin," Cole cut in with a harsh tone.</p><p>Kai frowned, "Well now that you mention it... yeah he did look different."</p><p>"His eyes were the same colour as they were when he left the mansion," Cole pointed out.</p><p>Zane leaned forward in his seat, a confused look on his face, "But when he left, his evolved powers were taking over, weren't they?"</p><p>"Exactly," Cole nodded.</p><p>"And if you were to get struck by lightning and survive, you'd have lightning patterns across your skin, most likely where you were struck," George added.</p><p>"They were the patterns Jay had on his face and neck," Cole responded.</p><p>Nya and Zane exchanged looks.</p><p>"So what's your point?" Kai questioned.</p><p>"Jay's being controlled..." Zane glanced down at the table in front of him, "Not by Nadakhan but by his own powers."</p><p>"He's so angry that his evolved powers have taken over him," Cole confirmed.</p><p>"That makes so much sense," Nya sighed.</p><p>"So what do we do now?" Kai asked.</p><p>Cole and George glanced at each other briefly. George shrugged.</p><p>"There isn't much we can do. From what I've heard, evolved powers are dangerous, especially after what happened to Lloyd," George explained.</p><p>Cole nodded, "That's why we need to focus on stopping Nadakhan first. He'll be an easier target."</p><p>"We've tried to stop Nadakhan so many times before. What makes you think this time will be any different?" Zane wondered.</p><p>"And I thought only a master of lightning can kill a djinn," Kai pointed out.</p><p>"What if there was another way?" Cole suggested, "What if we get all the elemental masters we possibly can and use all our powers together to stop him?"</p><p>"Would it work?" Nya asked.</p><p>"That's what we need to find out. And even if it doesn't, we'd have a large team to stop him," Cole told them, "But we'd need all the help we can get. So, get everyone you possibly can, elemental master or not. We <em>need</em> to take Nadakhan down once and for all."</p><p>"Wow, Cole, you're really taking charge," Zane smiled.</p><p>"As long as Jay is out of action, we're without a leader. And it's not like we can turn to Lloyd," Cole shrugged, "Everyone, invite as many people and friends of the team as you can to the mansion tonight. <em>Anyone</em>. Please."</p><p>The team were quite surprised that Cole was taking responsibility like this. He was brave and definitely the leader type. No one knew if they'd ever get Jay back or even <em>when</em>. Cole would be the perfect replacement. At least for now.</p><p> </p><p>Later that evening, the team waited patiently for everyone to arrive. Within an hour, a large number of people arrived. First to arrive was Libber, Ed, Sabrina and Lou. Wu and Misako joined shortly as well as Tox, Jessie and Hayley. In the end, Darien and George had also joined them.</p><p>"Okay, everyone, listen up," Cole caught everyone's attention as they all gathered in the living room, "We're short of time so we need to get this plan sorted quickly."</p><p>George stood on Cole's right, Kai on his left.</p><p>Kai awkwardly nudged Cole, trying to catch his attention.</p><p>"What?" Cole muttered to the fire ninja.</p><p>"Um, I actually invited one other person to help too but he's not here yet," Kai told him nervously.</p><p>Cole frowned, "We have everyone we need here. Who else could you have possibly invited?"</p><p>Just as Kai opened his mouth to respond, the doorbell rang. Cole frowned and Kai instantly cut him off before he could say anything.</p><p>"Just please don't start any drama," Kai told him before he left the room.</p><p>Everyone began to chatter and mutter again. Cole was quite frustrated. Whoever it was they were late, and probably not wanted either.</p><p>Within the next few moments, Kai wandered into the room, a boy with dark brown hair and green eyes behind him. The entire room went quiet, everyone's eyes directing their direction. Mutters and whispers could be heard.</p><p>Cole's heart dropped through his stomach, a look of terror on his face. Kai gave him an innocent smile, obviously knowing he was about to be brutally murdered. George frowned, spotting the look on the earth elemental's face.</p><p>The two approached both Cole and George with caution. Kai stood to the side for a moment.</p><p>"Hey Cole," The boy spoke quietly with an awkward smile.</p><p>"Why would you invite <em>him</em>?" Cole asked Kai, a harsh tone of voice.</p><p>"You said we needed all the help we could get," Kai told him, "A kitsune could be useful, right?"</p><p>"Who's this?" George asked Cole with a frown.</p><p>The boy held out his hand for George to shake. George steadily took his hand and shook it slowly.</p><p>"Ben," He responded.</p><p>"Oh, Cole's psycho ex," George nodded with a grin, "I've heard a lot about you."</p><p>"Psycho, huh?" Ben let go of his hand and glanced at Cole, a raised an eyebrow.</p><p>Cole redirected his attention to the floor in front of him.</p><p>"Yeah, sounds like he could deserve someone much better than you," George teased.</p><p>"I'm sorry, who are you exactly?" Ben questioned, tilting his head slightly.</p><p>"Oh, right, we haven't met. I'm George," He responded, "Police officer <em>and</em> Cole's boyfriend."</p><p>Cole's head shot up, a frown plastered on his face. The whispering in the room became louder. A look of shock and hurt crept up on Ben's face.</p><p>"My what now?" Cole asked.</p><p>"Yep, we've been together since this morning, right hun?" George winked at Cole.</p><p>"Uh-huh..." Cole replied awkwardly, not taking his eyes off of George.</p><p>"B-boyfriend? Oh..." Ben stuttered, trying not to seem upset.</p><p>"Something just clicked between us," George smiled at Ben as he put his arm around the slightly smaller man beside him, "We are <em>so</em> in love."</p><p>"I can't believe you'd move on that quickly," Ben told Cole.</p><p>"I mean... you can't blame me though, can you? You hurt me. What you did was wrong. There was no chance of <em>us</em> ever again after that," Cole responded.</p><p>Ben pretended to be strong but really, on the inside, he was breaking down. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know what to say. All he could think about was how he let Cole down.</p><p>"You really shouldn't be here, Ben. I didn't know you were coming and Kai shouldn't have invited you," Cole told him awkwardly.</p><p>Ben glanced at Kai briefly, who stared at the floor. He then looked back at both Cole and the smirking George. Cole was right. He shouldn't have gone back there. This wasn't his home anymore. These weren't his friends.</p><p>Ben tried so hard to hide his tears as he left the room and out of the house, slamming the door behind him. There was no going back now. He'd really messed things up.</p><p>Kai wandered over to his sister briefly, leaving Cole and George to talk things out.</p><p>"What were you thinking?!" Cole whisper-shouted.</p><p>"I was trying to help!" George responded, "He was obviously gonna try to get back with you and you didn't want that, right? So I stopped him."</p><p>"By lying about us being together? We literally only met <em>this morning</em>! And the last thing I want right now is to start <em>more</em> drama. Our job is to stop Nadakhan, not cause a love triangle. Trust me, I've been in plenty of those and they're no good. Get your act together, George," Cole explained.</p><p>"I was being serious though," George whispered, "About us clicking."</p><p>"What?" Cole frowned.</p><p>"When I first saw you, I felt something. I just couldn't take my eyes off you. I wanted to ask you out earlier but you seemed like you still had feelings for Ben and I didn't want to ruin anything. Not right now. But it's strange. I've never felt like this with anyone before. Didn't you feel it too?" George questioned.</p><p>Cole turned away, watching over the 'guests', his arms folded.</p><p>"I'm definitely feeling <em>something</em>," Cole muttered angrily.</p><p>"Cole, I'm being serious," George sighed.</p><p>"We need to focus on stopping Nadakhan, okay?" Cole told him sternly.</p><p>George nodded, feeling quite embarrassed. What had he done? He never meant to ruin his friendship with Cole but now he could have risked the whole mission. Hopefully Cole can forget about this and move on.</p><p>"Everyone, pay attention," Cole called out. Everyone gathered around once again, still whispering about what had just happened. Cole just hoped they'd would forget about it and focus on the mission.</p><p>"Are you and George really together?" Lou questioned his son.</p><p>"We need to focus on stopping Nadakhan right now, not whatever <em>this</em> is," He glanced at George briefly and turned back to the group.</p><p>"First of all, we need to distract Jay," Cole stated, "So, I need Jessie, Ed and Hayley to get Jay and trap him in one of the cells underground. Zane managed to get a map of the Samurai X cave so it shouldn't be that hard to find. You'll have to figure out a way to get Jay down there though. Then, Dad, Misako, and Darien, you guys need to distract Nadakhan's crew. It shouldn't be that hard since they're pretty dumb. And that leaves me, Kai, Nya, Zane, Mom, Master Wu, Tox, Libber and George to stop Nadakhan. George and police officers Tommy and Simon will be used as backups and can help if anyone gets hurt. The rest of the police department will be upstairs and ready to fight if they're needed or need to stop Jay possibly hurting anyone else. We can't risk losing any more. Everyone got that?"</p><p>Everyone nodded. Cole was quite nervous. He hoped that everyone stuck to the plan. If anything was to go wrong, the whole plan would be ruined. They needed to get it perfect otherwise the mission would be a failure. It could even lead to more deaths which was something they definitely didn't need right now. Maybe Cole was panicking for no reason but this was his first time in charge and was probably one of the most important missions of his entire life. But by the end of the day tomorrow, Nadakhan could be gone for good, right? If only...</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. Falling Again</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"So what's our mission again?" Ed asked the two younger women.</p><p>"Cole told us to trap Jay somehow. But how exactly do we do that?" Jessie questioned, "Because the last time someone tried to get involved in what he was doing, they ended up dead."</p><p>"Um... Jess... don't you think that's a little insensitive?" Hayley asked awkwardly.</p><p>Jessie shrugged, "Just saying it how it is. I know it sounds harsh but-"</p><p>"Wait," Ed cut them off.</p><p>The three became silent, listening to their surroundings closely. The small group had entered the Samurai X through the hidden tunnel in the dungeons. It was risky but not many people knew about it; just mainly Nya.</p><p>Ed reached into his pocket whilst the girls glanced around, assuming they were supposed to be watching out for someone or something. The older man pulled out a folded up piece of paper which confused the two other group members.</p><p>"Now that you two are quiet, I can finally read this map," Ed stated, glancing over it.</p><p>Jessie and Hayley rolled their eyes at each other. They had really thought they were in danger for a minute.</p><p>After a few minutes of being confused, Ed glanced over at Jessie.</p><p>"This doesn't make any sense," Ed told her.</p><p>Jessie snatched the map from his hands and looked for where they currently were. She then sighed and glanced back up at Ed.</p><p>"It's upside down," She rolled her eyes.</p><p>"Oh..." Ed replied awkwardly.</p><p>"I think Jess should do the map reading from now on," Hayley suggested, which Ed agreed to.</p><p>"So where does the map say we need to go?" Ed asked.</p><p>Jessie was quiet for a few minutes before she finally opened her mouth to speak, "Straight ahead and the first right would lead us to a staircase. Which would then lead us to... the sleeping quarters. So we definitely don't need to go up there..."</p><p>"We're looking for Jay, remember?" Ed reminded her.</p><p>"We don't know where he'd be though. By the look of the map, this place looks huge. So I guess we're either gonna have to hang around for him to find us or we use our sneaky ninja skills to hunt him down without getting caught," Jessie explained.</p><p>"Well... we don't have any sneaky ninja skills so we pretty much only have one option," Ed shrugged.</p><p>"No," Hayley whined, "We can't wait around here for ages. He might not even come down here. We're gonna have to be as quiet as possible."</p><p>"That's easy for you to say. I don't know if you've noticed but I'm not exactly the quietest person on the planet," Ed folded his arms.</p><p>"Yeah, we've noticed," Jessie joked, "Look, we're gonna have to roll with it, okay? We can't fail this mission. It's important."</p><p>The other two members of the small group nodded and the three began heading down the corridor as quietly as possible. The corridor was dark, damn and cold. It was like something from a horror movie that seemed never-ending. They passed by so many different corridors leading off from the main corridor which also seemed to be repetitive. They all looked the exact same. It was like a maze.</p><p>The three instantly came to a stop as soon as a young male's voice was heard in the distance. They hid down one of the additional corridors in hopes they wouldn't get spotted. The lined up against the wall, being as silent as they could. Ed, who was on the end, peered his head around to see who was nearby. To his surprise, it was his son, the one person they were looking for. Maybe they didn't have to go very far to find him after all. But he was alone, so who must've he been talking to?</p><p>Ed turned to the girls quietly and nodded slowly.</p><p>"What do we do?" Hayley whispered.</p><p>Jessie shrugged whilst Ed took another quick peek.</p><p>"Well we need to think of something and fast," Jessie muttered back.</p><p>Ed frowned and tapped Jessie's shoulder to get her attention.</p><p>"I think I have an idea. Just trust me, okay?" Ed told them.</p><p>Jessie and Hayley exchanged looks of confusion but eventually agreed. Ed took a deep breath and soon stepped out into sight in the corridor. He stood there a few minutes before realising his son hadn't even noticed he was there. But what exactly was Jay doing?</p><p>"Jay," Ed spoke clearly, hoping to catch his attention.</p><p>Jay's head turned rapidly towards Ed's direction. His eyes were brighter than they were before and he had more lightning patterns on his skin, this time they had reached his arms and hands too. No matter how cool it looked, they knew it was dangerous for Jay's health.</p><p>"Ed? How the hell are you here?!" Jay exclaimed, anger boiling up in his stomach.</p><p>"I just... I just needed to tell you that..." Ed gulped, "Edna and I should never have t-taken you in. We should never have ra-raised you. It was all... it was.... it was all... a-a mistake."</p><p>Jay stood still, not sure on how to react. On one hand, he didn't care. He was angry. But on the other, a part of him would always care about his friends and family. His feelings were so mixed up and confusing. He didn't know what to do.</p><p>"Ed?!" Hayley whisper shouted.</p><p>"You ruined our lives, especially mine. You never meant anything to me, Jay Gordon. You were never my son. Cliff should've killed you when he had the chance, then none of this would've happened," Ed spat out.</p><p>"Ed, what the heck are you doing?!" Jessie exclaimed.</p><p>For a moment, a very <em>brief</em> moment, the light in Jay's eyes dimmed and flickered, flashing back and forth to their original colour. Ed quickly noticed, realising his plan was working. Was Jay finally returning back to normal.</p><p>"You're only going to upset him more. After all of this, all the pain he's gone through, you really think this is going to help?" Hayley questioned.</p><p>"What are you talking about, Hayley?" Ed replied sarcastically before turning back to Jay, "He's just a waste of space. Nobody wanted him here and neither did I. I should've sent him to an orphanage or something. Maybe he could've been some use there."</p><p>Jay closed his eyes tight, his fists clutched. His breathing quickened, his chest growing bigger and bigger with every breath.</p><p>Ed noticed his son's body language and his sudden change in emotion and his face quickly fell. What had he just done?</p><p>Jay's eyes shot open, bright blue orbs glaring right back at Ed once again. But this time, they were even brighter. Ed's plan <em>hadn't</em> worked. He may have flickered for just a moment but deep down inside, there was no changing this side of Jay now. This was who he was.</p><p>"You will pay for everything you have done," Jay bellowed, "You will pay for all of your mistakes and sins."</p><p>"Uh oh," Ed gulped.</p><p>Hayley rolled her eyes, "Seriously?!"</p><p>Jay began stepping slowly towards his adoptive father, one step at a time. In his once closed fists were now lightning bolts, ready to be zapped. Ed was sure to be a goner.</p><p>"Jay, wait, um, you wouldn't hurt your dear father, would you?" Ed questioned with an innocent smile, backing up a little.</p><p>"It's just like you said, you never wanted me, right? So why put up with me when it can all come to an end?" Jay glared.</p><p>"No, no, no, Jay I didn't mean it, I-" Ed began to panic.</p><p>Jessie turned to Hayley quickly, fear in her eyes.</p><p>"I think I have an idea, but you've gotta follow my lead," Jessie muttered to Hayley.</p><p> </p><p>On the other side of the Samurai X cave, Lou, Misako and Darien made their way to the supposed room where the pirate crew would hang out. They desperately hoped they wouldn't run into either Nadakhan or Jay since they didn't have the skills or the powers to stop them. The small group of three pretty much had the easiest job of all so they couldn't mess this up, right?</p><p>"Where does the map say to go?" Darien asked.</p><p>"Map? What map?" Lou frowned, stopping in the middle of the dark corridor.</p><p>Misako raised an eyebrow, "The map that Nya gave us so we know where to go...?"</p><p>"Oh <em>that</em> map," Lou spoke, "Oh I dropped it a little while ago."</p><p>"What?!" Darien exclaimed.</p><p>"You dropped it?!" Misako questioned, anger in her voice.</p><p>"Yeah, it just fell out of my hands. I don't know when. I didn't really notice it had gone," Lou shrugged, "I've just been guessing for the past like... 30 minutes."</p><p>"So we could be running around in complete circles right now?" Darien asked.</p><p>Lou thought for a second before nodding, "Yeah, pretty much."</p><p>Misako sighed and Darien groaned. Who thought it was a good idea to leave Lou in charge of the map reading? Now they had no idea where they were or who could be around then. Well that was just fantastic.</p><p>"Hello?!" Lou shouted out, hoping for some help.</p><p>Misako quickly slapped her hand over Lou's mouth, shushing him. Darien seemed quite panicked.</p><p>"What do you think you're doing?!" Misako exclaimed quietly and removed her hand from covering his mouth, "We're on a stealth mission! We can't be shouting!"</p><p>"Oh right... sorry about that," Lou responded, whispering.</p><p>Misako rolled her eyes and Darien continued wandering down the corridor almost silently. After a few minutes of walking, Darien came to a sudden stop.</p><p>"What is it?" Lou asked wearily.</p><p>"Listen," Darien told them in a hushed tone.</p><p>The three waited and listened for a moment. There were voices coming from the distance, but from where? They didn't sound that far away but also didn't sound so close.</p><p>"Voices," Misako whispered.</p><p>"Who do you think they belong to?" Lou wondered.</p><p>"That's what we're going to find out," Darien told them quietly.</p><p>Darien tip-toed his way over to where the voices were coming from. He stopped at the foot of a door leading into a room. He peered through the crack between the hinges, spotting who the voices were coming from. He glanced back at the other two group members and assured them it was safe. The two scurried over, also seeing that the voices were indeed coming from the pirate crew.</p><p>"Bingo," Darien smiled.</p><p>"Well that wasn't very hard," Lou spoke loudly.</p><p>"Shush!" Misako whisper-shouted.</p><p>The voices suddenly stopped. A scratchy muttering approached the three as they tried to stay as quiet as possible. The door in front of them suddenly opened, revealing a very angry looking Flintlocke.</p><p>"Well, well, well, who do we have here?" Flintlocke folded his arms, catching the attention of the other pirates. The three non-pirates gulped, spotting how many pirates were there compared to how many they had on their side.</p><p>"This isn't going to be good..." Lou gulped.</p><p> </p><p>Ed ran down the corridor as fast as he could, attempting to dodge the flying bolts of lightning coming his way from behind. Jay was getting closer and closer to him. Since Ed was old, he was also out of shape and couldn't run very far before he would probably pass out from exhaustion.</p><p>"There's nowhere for you to go, Mr Walker," Jay shouted from behind.</p><p>Ed was panicked. His heart wasn't racing from just the adrenaline of running but because he thought that this was truly the end. But was it? Was he really going to be killed by his own son?</p><p>The old man had been lucky so far. He hadn't been hit by the lightning yet, which was actually quite a surprise to him since Jay was pretty skilled at that sort of thing. At least that's what he thought.</p><p>Ed ran for what felt like miles. He eventually stopped running when he reached the end of a corridor. He wasn't quite sure what corridor he was down. But what he did know was this was finally the end...</p><p>"Looks like you've come to a dead end," Jay laughed, slowly approaching.</p><p>Ed leaned against the cold, stone wall trying to catch his breath.</p><p>"J-Jay plea-please... I-I didn't mean it..." Ed struggled, "Y-You are the grea-greatest son I've ever had.."</p><p>"Nice try but I'm the <em>only</em> son you've ever had," Jay replied, creating lightning bolts in his hands again.</p><p>"Jay, wait, please," Ed panicked a little, putting his arms up in a surrender position, "If you kill me, you won't have a father, right? You need me and I need you."</p><p>"I don't need you. I don't need anyone. And they don't need me either," Jay snarled.</p><p>"People care about you more than you think, Jay. That's why we're here. Because we care and we want you back," Ed explained.</p><p>"I'm here, aren't I?" Jay raised an eyebrow.</p><p>"No," Ed stated sternly, "You aren't my son. The real Jay would never hurt anyone unless they truly deserved it. Lloyd didn't deserve it and you know it."</p><p>"Lust is a sin, y'know?" Jay rolled his eyes, becoming more angry and frustrated.</p><p>"It was hardly lust. He made a mistake. How many mistakes have you made and been forgiven for, hm?" Ed questioned.</p><p>"This isn't about me!" Jay shouted, startling Ed, "Any last words?"</p><p>"Jay, please don't do this, please," Ed begged, tears forming in his eyes, "This isn't you. Please. I know the real Jay is in there. Please just wake up and fight this evil. Please."</p><p>"Shut up old man!" Jay bellowed.</p><p>"Jay, you would never in a million years think of hurting your family. Don't you remember everything we've ever done together? Everything I taught you about inventing... and what your mother taught you about cooking..." Ed struggled, his voice cracking.</p><p>"It was all a waste of time. Just like you," Jay snarled, "You don't belong here anymore, Ed. This place needs better people than you. You just get in the way. That's why you need to go. Farewell."</p><p>Jay raised his hands that were full of jolts and pointed them in Ed's direction. Just as he was about to shoot them at his father, a loud thud caught Ed's attention. He glanced up to see Jay led on the cold floor and Hayley stood above him with a metal pole. Ed stared at his son, who's eyes were closed shut, barely breathing.</p><p>"I-Is he... d-d-dead?" Ed stuttered.</p><p>"No, just unconscious," Hayley assured him, taking his hand and helping him up.</p><p>Ed couldn't take his eyes off of his knocked out son.</p><p>"Will he be okay?" He asked wearily.</p><p>"He'll wake up soon so we have to get out of here as quickly as possible," Hayley told him.</p><p>Ed stared at his son again, his heart slowly breaking.</p><p>"This is all my fault..."</p><p>"Ed, come on, we gotta go," Jessie told him from the doorway.</p><p>Ed slowly backed away before turning around and joining the girls. Jessie closed the door to the cell quickly and the other two watched as Jay slowly disappeared into the darkness. Hayley locked the door and pulled the other two into a group hug.</p><p>"We did it," Hayley smiled.</p><p>Ed stood there lifeless. He didn't know how to feel. He didn't mean what he said about Jay and now that's what Jay really thought his father felt like. Ed never wanted to make things worse. He just wanted to fix it. Although it only made it worse.</p><p>Would they ever get Jay back or was he gone for good?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0025"><h2>25. Not about angels</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"You guys ready for this?" Cole asked, forming a group meeting at the top of the stairs to the Samurai X cave.</p><p>The group of nine huddled together into a circular formation.</p><p>"I know this mission won't be easy and I know that Nadakhan has grown a lot stronger since the last time we saw him but..." Cole paused, "If we stop Nadakhan, then we can get Jay back. We've come too far to give up now."</p><p>As Cole was giving his team a pep talk, the police department arrived quietly behind them in their cars. They were being used as backup just in case the mission didn't go to plan. Nadakhan was unpredictable and was capable of so much. There was no telling what would happen.</p><p>"Just as long as it's just us and that stupid djinn, we should be good. He's taken too much from us. He's taken Cliff, Edna, Skylor, Ben, Lloyd and now Jay <em>again</em>. We can't risk losing any more. We need to take him down once and for all. And even when it gets tough, we need to keep trying and not give up. We need to do everything in our power to stop him because if we don't then he'll hurt more and more people. We've suffered enough," Cole explained.</p><p>"We can do this," Kai nodded.</p><p>"Okay, everyone remember the plan?" Cole took in a deep breath.</p><p>The group nodded as Tommy and Simon joined the circle.</p><p>"Alright, everyone, hands in," Cole put his hand out flat in the middle of the circle. The group gently placed their hands on top one by one.</p><p>After all whisper-shouting "Ninja go!", they slowly made their way down the stairs into the Samurai X cave. Cole was in front, Kai and Nya behind. The rest of the group tried their best to stay quiet too and it did seem to be working. At the bottom of the stairs, Cole stopped the group as he peered round the corner to see the evil djinn stood on the other side of the room with his back to the stairs.</p><p>Cole turned back to the group and gave them a slight nod.</p><p>"You can't hide from me," Nadakhan spoke loudly, "I know you're there."</p><p>The group frowned, hoping he wasn't talking to them. Nadakhan turned around to see Cole peering round the corner again.</p><p>"You aren't exactly quiet," Nadakhan folded his arms, staring straight at the master of earth.</p><p>Cole sighed and rolled his eyes, leading the team into the large open area.</p><p>"I'm guessing you're all here to take me down," Nadakhan smirked, "But you do know that you don't stand a chance, right? It's you eleven against me, my crew and Jay."</p><p>"I wouldn't count on them to back you up," Kai stated, stepping forward a little.</p><p>"We already dealt with them," Cole smiled.</p><p>"I see you've actually come up with a decent plan then," Nadakhan laughed, "But I thought you'd take out Jay first instead of me. Y'know I'm the tougher one, right?"</p><p>"We have a strategy," Cole folded his arms, "And we're ready to take you down."</p><p>Nadakhan burst into fits of laughter, confusing the group.</p><p>"You really think you can stop me?" He laughed, "Oh you guys do really crack me up."</p><p>"We have a strong team," Cole rolled his eyes.</p><p>"Sure you do," Nadakhan took a step towards them.</p><p>The team got into fighting stance quickly, ready for anything. They didn't know how this battle would end or if they'd lose anyone else so they had to be prepared.</p><p>"Take this!" Kai formed a fire ball in his hands and launched it Nadakhan's way. The djinn quickly dodged it and flew closer to the ninja. Now angry, Kai tried to aim more fireballs Nadakhan's way but he only kept dodging them. After a few moments, he finally managed to hit the djinn but he didn't take much damage.</p><p>Nadakhan pulled out a sword and ran at the ninja. Tox ran forward, hoping to attack him before he could do anything, but he nudged her hard, sending her flying across the room. She landed a few meters away and quickly got up. Cole and Kai lunged forward, going to attack too but Nadakhan hit Kai away and grabbed Cole by his leg forcefully.</p><p>Kai held onto the corner of the floor, glancing beneath him where the floor was missing. It was dark so he was unable to see where the real floor was or even where the hole led to. If he was to fall, he would be a goner.</p><p>Nadakhan threw Cole across the room too, knocking into Tox and sending them both down onto the floor. The djinn then headed towards the rest of the group and attempted to hit them with his sword. His first victim was Libber but she managed to keep dodging his hits. Nadakhan then aimed for Sabrina and hit her straight away. She landed on the floor, Nadakhan towering over her, ready to hit her with the sword in his hand.</p><p>Sabrina closed her eyes tight, begging the universe to not hurt her. She didn't want this to be the end. She didn't want Nadakhan taking her life.</p><p>Just as Nadakhan lowered the sword at full speed, a loud clunk was heard, startling everyone in the room, including Sabrina.</p><p>"Zane!" Cole screamed.</p><p>Sabrina quickly opened her eyes to see Nadakhan still towering over her but with numerous robot parts scattered around and in front of her. Her heart pounded, her head dizzy. What had just happened?</p><p>"Oopsie," Nadakhan shrugged with a small smirk.</p><p>"What have you done?!" Cole shouted at the djinn.</p><p>Nadakhan turned to face Cole with a smile. He didn't care who he hurt. He never did.</p><p>"One down, 10 to go," Nadakhan grinned.</p><p>Sabrina stayed still, fear in her eyes. Her hands were shaking rapidly. She couldn't take her eyes off of the scene. Zane had sacrificed himself for her safety and now... now he was... gone.</p><p>"Help!"</p><p>"Kai, hold on!" Nya exclaimed to her brother who was just barely holding on to the side of the floor.</p><p>She sprinted across the room quickly, desperate to save her brother. Nadakhan smirked before teleporting towards Nya and used his sword to hit her away. Nya landed on the floor just as Kai's grip loosened and he began to fall.</p><p>"KAI!" Tox screamed, catching everyone's attention.</p><p>"No!" Cole shouted, running towards the edge. He peered down to see Kai's body disappear into the darkness. This was his worst nightmare...</p><p>"Make that 9 to go," Nadakhan spoke.</p><p>The room was silent. Well... all except for Nya's soft cries. What were they going to do now? How were they going to stop Nadakhan?</p><p>"We need to stick to the plan," Wu spoke up after a moment.</p><p>Cole nodded, "He's right..."</p><p>Everyone got up and headed to the opposite side of the room to Nadakhan. The djinn let them do what they needed to do since he was finding it amusing that they thought they could actually stop him.</p><p>"We may be two members short but... but we can still do this," Cole's voice was shaking.</p><p>Nya's eyes were filled with tears but she still nodded. She was going to stop Nadakhan for Kai. For her brother.</p><p>The group formed their elemental powers. Their hearts were broken. Nadakhan had done too much. He'd hurt and killed too many. It was finally time to put an end to this.</p><p>"Now!" Cole shouted through the pain.</p><p>They all raised their hands towards Nadakhan, who now looked quite worried. They shot their powers in his direction, never ending lines of their elements. Their energy was draining quickly but if it meant that they were going to put an end to Nadakhan's reign, then so be it.</p><p>"ARGH!" Nadakhan groaned as the powers hit him.</p><p>The group raised the djinn into the air. He was in severe pain which meant...</p><p>"IT'S WORKING!" Cole shouted with a small smile.</p><p>"Keep going!" Wu shouted.</p><p>But no matter how long they'd go on for, their powers weren't strong enough to stop him. They may have had him now but how long would it last?</p><p>Hayley, Ed and Jessie ran into the room after completing their little mission. Their faces lit up as soon as they saw the team defeating Nadakhan.</p><p>"Why is nothing else happening?" Nya asked Cole, who was beside her.</p><p>"We're not strong enough! We don't have enough power!" Cole shouted, making sure everyone could hear.</p><p>Just as the team were about to give up, Jessie ran forward and blasted yellow magic at Nadakhan, which made him scream in pain. The whole group turned to look at Jessie in surprise.</p><p>"You had powers all along?!" Libber exclaimed.</p><p>"I'm a fairy," Jessie stated, "I didn't want to say anything."</p><p>"What?!" Nya exclaimed.</p><p>"Now I've seen it all," Sabrina stated.</p><p>"Guys concentrate! We can do this!" Cole shouted.</p><p>The team focused again. They had never used their powers like this nor with this strength. Nadakhan had really tested their abilities.</p><p>"We're still not strong enough!" Libber called out.</p><p>Cole thought for a moment. His evolved powers would be exactly what they needed to stop Nadakhan. But after what had happened to Jay, he swore he'd never use them again. He didn't want to lose control either. But if they didn't stop Nadakhan, he probably wouldn't see Jay again... There was only one thing he could do.</p><p>Cole took a deep breath and activated his evolved powers, becoming stronger than he ever had before. His eyes turned bright orange. But to the team's surprise, Libber's powers also grew stronger. They turned to look at her and her eyes were bright blue. But how?</p><p>"Evolved powers!" Sabrina exclaimed.</p><p>"This is the last push, everyone! Let's do this!" Wu shouted, refocusing everyone.</p><p>With the help of both Cole and Libber's evolved powers, they were finally strong enough to stop the djinn forever. After a few more moments of using their powers as strong as they possibly could, a bright yellow light filled the room. The light eventually became so bright that it knocked everyone over, causing their powers to stop.</p><p>A few minutes had passed and they all had finally managed to get up. The light had gone. They glanced around the room, not spotting any sign of Nadakhan at all.</p><p>"He's... gone," Cole stated, breathing a sigh of relief.</p><p>"We did it!" Libber exclaimed, jumping up and down from excitement.</p><p>Nya remained sat on the floor, tears filling her eyes again. Sabrina comforted her as best as she could. Was Kai really gone too?</p><p>Cole rushed over and hugged George quickly. He didn't know why he did it. He just needed to.</p><p>"It's finally over," Cole told him.</p><p>"You did it," George smiled.</p><p>"Zane..." Wu sighed.</p><p>"This was unfair. Zane didn't deserve to die. He was innocent and protecting someone," Libber spoke sadly.</p><p>Wu nodded, "I guess sometimes we just have to make sacrifices.. And that's what Zane did today. He's a hero. And so is Kai."</p><p>The room filled with silence for a moment. In the distance, the sound of singing and shouting was heard. The team glanced at each other, confused. Entering the room, the pirate crew along with the other small group were doing the conga happily. But as soon as they all spotted the saddened look and Zane's body scattered across the floor, their faces fell.</p><p>"What happened?" Lou questioned, "Did you stop Nadakhan?"</p><p>"Zane...?" Darien's eyebrows creased.</p><p>"Where's Kai?" Misako wondered, glancing over at Wu briefly.</p><p>Wu shook his head as if to say they were gone.</p><p>"We stopped Nadakhan. He won't be hurting us any more," Cole sighed, "But Kai and Zane..."</p><p>"They didn't deserve this..." Darien sighed.</p><p>"Well, no one else will be getting hurt from now on. With Nadakhan gone, we can finally get our lives back on track. We need to honour Kai and Zane's lives. They were taken too soon. But they died being heroes," Wu stated as the large group joined in the middle of the room for a group hug.</p><p>Nadakhan was finally gone. But there was still one last thing they had to do. How were they going to get Jay back?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0026"><h2>26. You were good to me</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The team had just gotten back from defeating Nadakhan. No one really spoke. No one really had much to say. Half of the group went home since it was getting late and had their own lives. Besides, they weren't needed anymore. Libber, Sabrina, Hayley, Jessie, Darien, Wu and George headed back to the mansion with the ninja team. Or what was left of it...</p><p>They were all completely speechless. They couldn't believe what had just happened. Yes, they were ecstatic that Nadakhan was gone but what right did they have to be happy right now? They'd lost two more members of the team. Now they were only down to two. Cole and Nya.</p><p>"What do we do now?" Libber asked quietly.</p><p>The group were sat in the living room together, not sure what they were feeling. A mixture of emotions swirled around in their overcrowded minds.</p><p>Jessie shrugged, "It's not right..."</p><p>"Not only have we lost Kai and Zane but now we have to come up with some way of saving Jay," Wu sighed.</p><p>"We don't even have a nindroid to help us," Hayley muttered sadly.</p><p>Darien stood up quickly, "But we can't let this bring us down! This is exactly what Nadakhan wanted."</p><p>They all glanced up at him, confused looks on their faces.</p><p>"He wanted to hurt us so much that we wouldn't be able to stop Jay. That was his plan all along," Darien told them, "So we can prove him wrong by bringing Jay back. It's what Kai and Zane would've wanted."</p><p>As much as Nya and Cole hated to admit it, he was right. All they wanted to do was mourn the loss of their friends and brother. Nya missed Kai like crazy and Cole missed them being around. What Nadakhan did wasn't right. Everything he'd done to the people of Ninjago wasn't right. And now was their chance to fix it. If they brought Jay back, maybe they'd have more hope.</p><p>"So... we need to come up with a plan to bring Jay back to us, right?" Darien questioned.</p><p>Cole nodded, "Darien's right. Jay is our top priority right now."</p><p>"Anyone got any ideas then?" Jessie asked, speaking up a little bit more.</p><p>No one spoke up. They barely came up with a plan to stop Nadakhan. And everything they'd tried to help Jay had failed.</p><p>"What if we do the same thing we did to Nadakhan?" Sabrina wondered.</p><p>"And kill Jay in the process? Yeah, no thanks. I actually want to keep my brother, y'know," Cole replied harshly.</p><p>"Let's just think about it for a moment," Libber stared at the floor in front of her, "Why has Jay turned like this? What was the reason?"</p><p>"He found out about Nya and Lloyd," Cole told her.</p><p>"That was just the start of it all though, wasn't it? When you went to the Samurai X cave to get Lloyd, what did Jay tell you?" Libber wondered.</p><p>Cole thought for a moment, trying to recall all the painful things his brother had spoken of.</p><p>"He blamed everything on me. Told me how selfish I was to never be there for him and make everything about me. He had a point though..." Cole sighed, "Kai said some pretty horrible stuff too. Like how Lloyd would be a better leader and a better dad."</p><p>"He said that?" Nya questioned, hurt in her voice.</p><p>"Jay's hurt. He thinks he has no one there for him. And now he thinks that because he's hurt numerous people, such as Lloyd, that he can never gain your friendship back. He feels alone and trapped in his own mind. And he's being controlled by his own anger," Libber explained.</p><p>"And your point is...?" Jessie raised an eyebrow.</p><p>"So what if someone talked him out of all this? Someone who's been in similar situations. Someone who has been trapped inside of their own mind and anger. Someone who was misjudged and alone," Libber responded.</p><p>The group thought for a moment. But who could that possibly be? They've met so many different people throughout their lives but not one of them lived up to those expectations. Well, all except for one person...</p><p>Cole sighed, "Ben."</p><p>"What?" George frowned.</p><p>"He was wrongly accused multiple times. Nadakhan was controlling his every moment. He was trapped and angry and lonely. All he wanted was people to believe him in and be his friend," Cole explained, "It makes sense. Ben is the only one who can bring Jay back."</p><p>"But any one of us can talk Jay out of it if we tried hard enough," Hayley stated.</p><p>Cole shook his head, "Jay and Ben have a special bond. They're best friends. At the Wailing Alps, when Jay was so so angry at Ben for everything he did, he still saw the good in him. Jay trusted Ben and talked him out of all this stuff. Ben was determined to kill both Jay and I but Jay took a risk and told him about the good inside of him. Ben did the right thing in the end and left. That was when I helped Ben too but obviously behind everyone's back. If anyone can talk Jay into being good again, it's Ben."</p><p>"Great, so where do we find him?" Wu asked.</p><p>"I-I don't know..." Cole sighed, "He could be anywhere in Ninjago. Besides, I doubt he'd come back after what I said to him yesterday."</p><p>"Well that's just brilliant then, isn't it?" Darien groaned.</p><p>"It's all my fault. If I had just let him explain himself the first time around then none of this would've happened. We could've still been together..." Cole replied sadly.</p><p>"Don't tell me you still love him," George spoke up, a frown on his face.</p><p>"A part of me will always love Ben," Cole sighed again.</p><p>"Seriously?! After everything he did to you-" George complained.</p><p>Cole cut in, "He's a good person, George. He didn't mean to hurt anyone. And now we need him and it's my fault he's gone."</p><p>George got up and stormed out of the house, frustrated. He slammed the front door behind him, startling everyone in the room.</p><p>"And now we're <em>another</em> member down," Sabrina rolled her eyes.</p><p>Darien turned to Cole, "Maybe you shouldn't have said all that stuff in front of your boyfriend."</p><p>"He's not my boyfriend," Cole groaned, "He made it up so that Ben would leave me alone. He thought he was helping but he wasn't."</p><p>"Oh the crafty devil!" Libber exclaimed.</p><p>"What do we do now?" Hayley wondered.</p><p>Cole shrugged, "I dunno..."</p><p> </p><p>On the other side of Ninjago, past the woods and mountains, was a small village. Not many people knew about it since nothing really happened there but it was quite a peaceful and beautiful place. In the middle of the village was a small park with a water fountain. And that was where George had gone. He'd spent all morning tracking this place down just to find one person.</p><p>Sat near the water fountain alone was the kitsune the team were looking for. George was determined to find him but not for the team. For Cole. He came all that way to say something and he hoped that Ben was ready to hear it.</p><p>George approached from behind, catching Ben's attention for a brief moment.</p><p>"We need to talk," George stated sternly.</p><p>"How did you find me here?" Ben stood up, turning to face George.</p><p>"I'm a police officer. It's my job to track people down," He responded, "It's a nice place here though."</p><p>"You came a long way for nothing, you know that?" Ben told him, frustration in his voice, "I don't want to hear what you have to say."</p><p>"I'm gonna say my peace, then I'll leave," George replied.</p><p>Ben stayed silent for a moment before nodding a little.</p><p>George took a deep breath and began, "You're a great guy. And I know that Cole likes you a lot. But I'm the love of his life. And he's the love of mine. And that's just the way it is."</p><p>Ben sighed, staring down at the ground in front of him. His heart ached to hear those words. Cole didn't love him anymore and he knew that. He knew that he'd messed things up so badly that he'd lost the one person he cared about the most. The one person that believed in him when no one else did. Cole had let him in so easily and the guilt had gotten into his head. He never meant to hurt Cole. He didn't want to. But Cole was moving on now. And Ben should be too.</p><p>"I understand that," Ben muttered.</p><p>"No, you need to <em>actually</em> understand that," George replied quickly, "You need to stop hoping that he's gonna walk through your palace doors and be with you."</p><p>Ben tried his best to keep his tears back. He couldn't show any weakness, especially in front of <em>Cole's new boyfriend</em>.</p><p>Ben shook his head, "You have no idea how I feel right now."</p><p>"You're hurt. You're in pain. You love Cole and he doesn't love you back; he loves me. That's an impossible place to be," George smiled a little, "And I know that this is the most soul crushing thing to be hearing right now... but you have to accept it."</p><p>Ben opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. He sighed and nodded, glancing up at the officer for a brief moment.</p><p>"You're gonna find true love one day, Ben, just not with Cole," George told him kindly.</p><p>After a few moments of silence, Ben was able to control his emotions. He looked back up at George with a small smile.</p><p>"Is that everything?" Ben asked.</p><p>"The team can't save Jay without your help," George stated.</p><p>"Why?" Ben questioned.</p><p>"Well... the team is now three members down. Lloyd, Kai and Zane were all <em>killed</em> because of Nadakhan. Not only that but you are the only person who can talk Jay out of all this stuff. You need to show him that he is a good person. It's the only way to bring him back," George explained.</p><p>Ben frowned, not following what George was saying.</p><p>George sighed, "Basically, you need to come back with me to help the team win Jay back."</p><p>Ben thought for a moment. After everything he had done for the team and all those times they'd pushed him away and not trusted him, why should he help them?</p><p>Ben shook his head, "No."</p><p>"Don't you owe that much to them? They became your friends. And they were there for you when you needed them. And now when they need you, what, you're gonna chill out here and lick your wounds like a coward?" George asked, frustration in his voice.</p><p>"You're manipulating me," Ben snarled.</p><p>George sighed. He wasn't getting anywhere with this.</p><p>"All that stuff you said to help me move on... that was all just to get me to come back and fight?" Ben questioned, a frown on his face.</p><p>"Ben," George stepped forwards, "Think about Cole, he needs you-"</p><p>"Cole is the last person I want to think about right now!" Ben shouted.</p><p>George was a little taken back by Ben's outburst. He didn't expect Ben to be so selfish. But deep down, he too knew that Ben wasn't a bad guy. He knew that Ben was hurting.</p><p>"I'm sorry," Ben replied calmly, "But my answer is no."</p><p>George sighed, "Look, I know you're new at having friends but you have them. The wealth of our lives is measured by our friendships. And all this? It's worth nothing without them."</p><p>No matter how hard George would try, Ben wouldn't budge. But he couldn't say that he didn't try. He didn't blame Ben. After everything that had happened between him and the team, he knew it would be a long shot.</p><p>Ben broke eye contact once again, watching the grass blow in the breeze. George took this as his opportunity to leave. George was too new to having friends but he at least knew how important they were to have. He just hoped Ben would understand that. And yes, he may have lied about Cole being in love with him, but it definitely did make Ben think, right?</p><p>Ben, on the other hand, didn't know what to do. He didn't want to risk ruining things between him and the team again. He didn't want to risk causing more drama than what was needed. But he knew George was right. Moving on from Cole would be hard and the team <em>did</em> need him. Jay was important to Ben and as much as he wanted to save him, he didn't want to get in the way. Maybe they were wrong about him all this time.</p><p>But it did seem quite suspicious that George would turn up out of nowhere and instantly fall in love with Cole. They became a couple without a few hours, well that was what they were told at least, even if it wasn't true. Why would George want to help the team so quickly? And how did he knew absolutely <em>everything</em> about the team? Something just didn't sit right with Ben. He didn't like the thought of Cole being around him. It just didn't seem right.</p><p> </p><p>Back at the mansion, the team were discussing another plan. Without George or Ben, their plan wasn't going to be easy nor would it really work, but they had to at least try.</p><p>"We should be proud of how far we've come. We've given it our all and we've finally made it to this point," Cole told the group.</p><p>"But we don't have a decent plan," Sabrina spoke up.</p><p>"I know," Cole sighed, "But right now, as much as I hate to say it, we only have two options. Either give up now or fight for Jay and potentially lose more than we already have. If you guys want to give up now, we'll do it. But personally, I think we should-"</p><p>"Cole," Hayley spoke up, "We're with you. We'll fight. All of us."</p><p>Cole smiled, "No matter what happens, we are a team. And I'm so lucky to have you guys."</p><p>The team had been through so much since the beginning. From all the drama with Nya's allergy, Ben, Cole's death, Nadakhan's return, Cliff's murder, Jay being framed, the explosion and now... so much had changed. But the most important thing was that they had managed to stick together no matter what. They had each other's backs. And that was the key to friendship.</p><p>"Aw, that's cute," A voice spoke from the doorway.</p><p>The team glanced over to see George leant against the door frame, a smile on his face and his arms folded.</p><p>"George?" Libber frowned.</p><p>"Where have you been? I've been trying to call you," Cole told him.</p><p>"Oh, I went on a trip," George smirked.</p><p>"What?" Cole questioned.</p><p>"I got you something," George added.</p><p>"That's sweet but I'm not really in the mood for souvenirs right now," Cole responded, confused.</p><p>"Not even a kitsune?" Another voice spoke.</p><p>Ben stepped out from behind George, a smile on his face.</p><p>"Ben?!" Libber exclaimed with a wide grin.</p><p>"Ben?" Cole was in shock.</p><p>"A little birdy told me you needed help," Ben told them.</p><p>Without a second thought, Cole jumped up and ran over to him. He threw his arms around Ben, gripping onto him tight. Ben hugged back, a sense of relief filling him.</p><p>"I'm so sorry," Cole stated, burying his head between the crook of Ben's neck.</p><p>"No, I'm the one that needs to apologise," Ben responded.</p><p>Cole pulled away, trying his best to hold back his tears, "Jay told me everything about Nadakhan. It's not your fault. I should've let you explain."</p><p>Ben smiled, "I should've been honest from the start."</p><p>"We both should have," Cole smiled back.</p><p>George stood there awkwardly but he was happy for them. This was the reason he brought Ben back. At first, he didn't think he'd come back with him but as soon as Ben changed his mind, they rushed home. George was happy to see them reunited.</p><p>"Thank you," Cole told George with a wide smile, which George returned.</p><p>"Alright," Ben spoke up, "Who's ready to get Jay back?"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0027"><h2>27. End of the Line</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>TW: Self harm and suicide</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The team headed straight to the Samurai X cave. Now that they didn't have to worry about Nadakhan, it would be easier to get in. Their top priority right now was saving Jay and getting everyone out safely.</p><p>The team stopped at the top of the stairs to the cave. They huddled together for the last time, proud of all they had accomplished.</p><p>"No matter what happens in there, I love you guys," Cole smiled.</p><p>The group hugged and began heading down the stairs, prepared for anything. Ben was first to reach the bottom. He glanced around to see Zane's parts still scattered in the same place as before. It really hit the team hard.</p><p>Jay was stood on the other side of the room with not a clue that they were there. The master of lightning was already frustrated about the loss of Nadakhan and how the pirate crew had ditched him. Now he was alone but still determined.</p><p>Ben gulped and took a deep breath. His nerves were really getting to him. If he didn't save Jay, no one could. No pressure, right?</p><p>"Jay," Ben stated.</p><p>Jay froze still, his back still to them. He knew exactly who was there but he didn't want to believe it.</p><p>"What are you doing here?" Jay replied wearily.</p><p>"I came to see you," He responded, "To help you."</p><p>"I don't need help," Jay stated, turning around to see his friends, "What is this? A team meeting?"</p><p>"We just want to help you, Jay. You aren't okay," Ben told him.</p><p>"I'm fine. I don't need any of you," Jay replied.</p><p>Ben noticed how bright his eyes were. They were like nothing he'd ever seen before. They were quite pretty to look at but they were also extremely dangerous. Who knew how long it would be until they officially lost Jay...</p><p>"Look at you, Jay," Ben sighed, "You aren't yourself. You're hurt."</p><p>"I'm a lot better now that I don't have any of you," Jay snarled, "This is me. This is who I truly am."</p><p>"No, I know the real you," Ben disagreed, "The real Jay wouldn't hurt anyone. He wouldn't ever think of harming someone whether you think they did something wrong or not."</p><p>"It was all an act," Jay responded harshly.</p><p>"No it's not," Ben told him, "You've lost so much. You've gone through a lot. I get it. But this <em>really</em> isn't you. You're Jay, the master of lightning. The leader of the ninja team. Brother of Cole and husband of-"</p><p>"Don't even say it," Jay shook his head, "I refuse to be the husband of <em>her</em>. After what she did-"</p><p>"I was drunk, Jay!" Nya exclaimed, "And I regretted it straight away, you know that! I would never do it if I was sober! It was a stupid mistake! I love <em>you</em>!"</p><p>"Don't lie to me," Jay growled.</p><p>"I'm not lying!" She cried.</p><p>"Jay, she loves you and you love her," Ben spoke up, "Your love is undeniable. She made a <em>mistake</em>."</p><p>Jay gritted his teeth and looked down at the ground. As much as he hated to admit it, they were right. He still loved her and he knew it was a mistake. He just didn't want to give her the benefit of the doubt.</p><p>"We all really care about you, Jay," Cole spoke up.</p><p>"Do you though?" Jay frowned.</p><p>"Of course we do, why else would we be here?" Cole questioned.</p><p>"Because you have no choice? Because you think I'm a danger to society?" Jay replied.</p><p>"We chose to come and save you," Ben added.</p><p>"Save me? <em>Save</em>? You think I need saving?" He laughed, "Why would I need <em>saving</em>?"</p><p>"The truth is..." Ben sighed, "You're being controlled."</p><p>"By what? Nadakhan? I don't see him around anyw- oh wait, that's because you killed him," Jay responded sarcastically.</p><p>"You aren't being controlled by Nadakhan. You're being controlled by your anger," Ben told him, "Your evolved powers are taking control because you're so angry."</p><p>"And why do you think I'm so angry?" Jay questioned, "You <em>all</em> did this to me! <em>You've</em> made me into this 'monster' you seem to think I am. Ever since I joined the team, no one cared about me. I lost contact with my parents. And not to mention I lost Nya and my friends and- I became the outcast... You <em>never</em> cared about me and it shows. You can't lie to me and say <em>'oh Jay we do care about you</em>' because I know you don't. I can see right through you all."</p><p>"You know that's not true," Ben stated calmly.</p><p>"And when you found out when I was self harming, you were mad rather than supportive! You all said that I was looking for attention," Jay added.</p><p>"When did we ever say that?!" Nya exclaimed.</p><p>"Seriously, Jay?! Have you completely forgotten about the conversation we had in the cell that night?!" Ben questioned, "Don't you remember what I told you?"</p><p>
  <em>"Jay...?" He spoke softly. Jay opened his eyes and covered his arm back up quickly.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I can't even look at it without crying. I'm so disappointed in myself but I deserve it. And I keep doing it." Jay sighed, trying to hold back the tears.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Jay this is serious. Some of them look fresh too." Ben stated.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"This morning. Some were from this morning." Jay sighed.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You shouldn't be doing this to yourself," Ben told him kindly.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"And why would you care? You want me dead anyway!" Jay snapped.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Ben took Jay's hand and squeezed it tightly for support. "It is never okay to be doing this to yourself. But people will always be there for you no matter what."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Tears fell down Jay's cheeks.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I may have tried to kill you, sure, but I don't want to see you do this to yourself, Jay. It isn't worth it." Ben stated, rubbing the top of Jay's hand with his thumb.</em>
</p><p>Jay directed his attention towards Ben again. He <em>did</em> remember. He remembered it well. It was when Jay and Ben's friendship really started. Ben still hated Jay back then but he cared enough to help him.</p><p>"We <em>do</em> care about you, Jay. More than you think," Ben stated.</p><p>Jay shook his head, "You aren't fooling anyone."</p><p>"You're fooling <em>yourself</em>," Ben told him, "You just can't see how much we love you because you're too distracted with your past. You need to move on from the pain and think about the future. We've all made mistakes, Jay, and we aren't proud of them. But we all deserve a second chance, right?"</p><p>Jay remained silent. Ben was right. The team had already given Jay many chances, especially during missions. They'd also given Ben many chances too and look where he was now. He was making everything right again.</p><p>"How could you ever love me after what I've done? I've let you all down," Jay replied quietly.</p><p>"How have you?" Ben frowned.</p><p>"I was never good enough for the team. I always messed up the missions and... and I distracted everyone from what was important. Then I disappointed you all with my self harming and... Cole..." He began, tears building up in his eyes.</p><p>For a brief moment, his eyes flickered back to their original electric blue. That was how the team knew it was working. Ben was determined now more than ever.</p><p>"Cole had to save me... from taking my own life and I-" He stopped, tears falling down his cheeks.</p><p>"It's okay, we all do things we regret," Ben spoke up.</p><p>Cole hated remembering it. It was one of his worst nightmares. He never wanted to lose his brother.</p><p>"Don't you remember the promise we made each other?" Cole asked.</p><p>Jay nodded, tears falling from his eyes.</p><p>"We promised to stick by each other's sides and be there no matter what," Cole reminded him, "And I meant every word. I know I haven't been the best. And I'm your brother; I'm supposed to be there for you. And I'm selfish for making it all about me. I didn't know I was doing it. And I am so so sorry. I didn't know how bad my actions were hurting you until I lost you."</p><p>"A-Are you really lying to me again?" Jay stuttered.</p><p>"What?" Cole questioned through tears.</p><p>"Why would he be lying?" Darien frowned.</p><p>"It's what everyone says... And then they go and do it again and again and it just doesn't stop..." Jay started becoming angry again.</p><p>He was letting his emotions take over again. This wasn't what the team needed. Ben expected it to be easier than this but whatever they'd tell him, Jay didn't believe it. Libber hated watching this. She hated seeing her son in this position. He wasn't the person she knew and loved.</p><p>"I'm sick of people lying to me," Jay snarled, reaching into his pocket.</p><p>"We aren't lying, I promise," Ben told him wearily.</p><p>It was at this moment where Ben had realised that Jay's eyes were no longer the bright blue. They had returned to his electric blue colour. This wasn't him being controlled... this was the real Jay speaking.</p><p>Jay pulled his hand out of his pocket, a gun clutched in his hand. This caught everyone's attention, alarming them more.</p><p>"Jay, what are you doing with that?" Cole asked, a worried tone of voice.</p><p>Jay's breathing quickened, more tears falling from his eyes. He was breaking down and he wasn't thinking straight. This wasn't going to end well for anyone.</p><p>His hand was shaking vigorously. He looked so tired that he would collapse at any moment. His powers had completely drained him and now look what they had done. Jay raised the gun and pointed it towards Ben and Cole. He stared at them, hurt in his eyes.</p><p>"Jay," Ben's heart raced, "Just put the gun down, please."</p><p>"Why should I?" He questioned, his voice shaking too.</p><p>"You aren't thinking straight," Ben told him, "Remember who you are. You wouldn't hurt anyone."</p><p>"But I already have... I've hurt too many..." Jay replied.</p><p>"It's not your fault," Ben stated, "I know you and I know you won't pull the trigger.</p><p>"Watch me, b*tch," Jay snarled at Ben, ready to pull the trigger and potentially end his life.</p><p>Cole jumped in front of Ben, making Jay stop quickly.</p><p>"Move out of my way," Jay told his brother with a groan.</p><p>"Not until you put the gun down," Cole responded.</p><p>"I'm not going to do that," Jay replied.</p><p>"Don't hurt him, okay? It's not worth it," Cole reassured him.</p><p>"What, so you'd rather me do it to myself, huh?!" Jay cried, raising the gun to the left side of his head.</p><p>"Jay!" Multiple shouts were heard from the room, everyone worried about what he was possibly about to do.</p><p>What was he doing? After everything he'd been through, Cole had to see he saw it coming but wasn't prepared for it. He was worried for his brother and now... now he was terrified. He couldn't see him do this. He'd never forgive himself.</p><p>"Jay-" Cole panicked, "Jay, put the gun down. Please, just put the gun down."</p><p>"Or what?" Jay questioned, even more tears falling, "Y-You won't be my brother anymore? Is that it? Why does it matter if I do it or not?! It's not like you'd miss me. I deserve it, don't I? I've hurt so many people. I'm a bad person, Cole! I DESERVE TO DIE!"</p><p>"No you don't!" Cole cried back.</p><p>"Jay, I know what it's like to want to hurt people," Ben stepped forward, "Your family hurt you and so did we. But you are so much more than this. You aren't a bad person; you never have been. You are the most caring person I've ever met, Jay. Trust me."</p><p>"How could I ever trust you?" Jay questioned, his finger on the trigger.</p><p>"Because I choose to see the best in people. I forgive and forget, just like you do, remember? We can make everything better again but it'll just take time. I promise everything will be okay," Ben told him.</p><p>Jay shook his head, "No- no it won't..."</p><p>"Be honest with me, Jay," Ben stated, "Do you want to hurt people?"</p><p>Jay thought for a moment before shaking his head again.</p><p>"I know you don't want to hurt anyone. We all know it," Ben replied, "Jay, I-"</p><p>"Jay, wait!" A voice shouted from the staircase behind them.</p><p>Jay glanced over and froze as soon as he spotted who it was. There was no way... It was impossible. It must've been a repeat of what happened after Cole's death. He must have been hallucinating just like how he used to see Cole.</p><p>"D-Dad?"</p><p>"Don't do it, please," Cliff told him.</p><p>"Dad?!" Cole and Hayley exclaimed.</p><p>"Cliff?" Libber frowned.</p><p>"Jay, trust me, I've been there. And it will never solve anything," Cliff spoke quietly.</p><p>Jay didn't know what to say. He didn't want to seem crazy by talking to someone who wasn't there. His father was dead. Why would he be stood across the room from him?</p><p>"Don't you remember how hurt you were? Don't you remember how you blamed yourself? That same thing will happen to us too. Everyone in here will be traumatised for <em>life</em>. We all love you to pieces, Jay, we never ever want to see you hurt yourself. Especially not like this," Cliff explained, "I promise that things will get better. There will be people around you that you can turn to when you need them, like me."</p><p>"B-but you never wanted me..." Jay stuttered, "Y-you... y-you tried to kill me..."</p><p>Cliff sighed, "I know... and it was a huge mistake. I regret it every day of my life. And instead of trying to make up for my mistakes and fighting for a second chance, I ran away from my problems. I tried to take my own life when in reality, I could've stayed and made it up to you."</p><p>Jay didn't know how to respond. He didn't know if he should believe it or not.</p><p>"I've always made mistakes. But not only with you. With Cole and Hayley too. I've never spent any time with them or worrying about them when I should have. I love them just as much and I really <em>really</em> want to make it up to them too," Cliff continued, "And I'm not gonna run away this time. I'm gonna fight. And I'm not asking for forgiveness. I don't expect any of you to forgive me. What I've done is... horrible. But I at least want the chance to make things right."</p><p>"We do forgive you," Hayley assured him.</p><p>Cliff looked back at Jay, "No matter how many times I apologise, it still won't make up for what I did to you. Ever since then, I've realised how special you are and how much I've needed you. You aren't just a random person in my life, Jay. You're my <em>son</em>. And I love you with my whole heart. I always have and I always will. I won't let anyone hurt you, especially yourself."</p><p>Cliff began to take small steps towards his son, hoping to talk some sense into him.</p><p>"We all make mistakes. But the most important thing is that we don't run away from them. We try to fix them. And I know that you can fix yours too. Heck, we can fix them <em>together</em>," Cliff told him calmly.</p><p>Jay's breathing calmed down a little but he was still crying, still unsure whether to believe that his father was really there. But no matter how much it hurt, he listened and he understood every word. It made sense. It made him feel... wanted.</p><p>"I know it may seem like people don't care about you, Jay, but why else would we be here? If we didn't love you, we'd leave. We'd let you do this to yourself. But we aren't letting you. We're trying to stop you because we love you. We aren't doing it because the team needs a leader; literally anyone else could do that job. Just not as well as you, of course. But you are someone that cannot be replaced. Yeah, there may be someone else called Jay in the world but there will never <em>ever</em> be another Jay Walker. You are irreplaceable. You are a brother, friend, leader, son, husband, and maybe even a dad in the future. You are an inspiration to so many, including me. And we love you just the way you are," Cliff explained, now stood directly in front of his son, "We need you in our lives. Your mere presence brightens our entire week. So please don't do this to yourself, okay?"</p><p>Jay stared straight into his father's eyes, his heart racing. His finger was still hovered over the trigger but his grip on the gun had loosened slightly. He still wanted to do it. He wanted to badly. But he just couldn't bring himself to do it.</p><p>Cliff slowly reached for the gun, still looking Jay in the eyes, giving him a look of reassurance. Another tear slowly fell down the lightning elemental's cheek, his eyes were red and puffy. Cliff gently took hold of the weapon too, and slowly took it from Jay's grasp. Jay let go eventually and Cliff moved it away slowly. He slid the gun across the floor and far away from them.</p><p>Cliff raised his hands to Jay's face, placing them gently on his cheeks and wiping some of his tears away but more and more just built up in their place.</p><p>"Y-You're really here?" Jay questioned.</p><p>Cliff nodded, "I always have been."</p><p>Jay wrapped his arms around his father tightly and buried his head into his chest, crying all his pain away. Cliff hugged him tight too, lucky to have his son in his arms again. It was all he ever wanted.</p><p>"I-I'm so sorry," Jay cried.</p><p>The rest of the group breathed a sigh of relief now that they knew he was safe.</p><p>"I never meant to hurt you, Jay," Cliff told him.</p><p>"I know," Jay smiled, relieved to have his father back to him safely.</p><p>Libber, Sabrina, Cole, and Hayley rushed over to their family for the special 'reuniting scene'. They were all so happy to be back together again.</p><p>"What's going on in here?" A voice spoke from the doorway to downstairs.</p><p>Everyone directed their attention towards the doorway to see both Skylor and Edna stood there with confused looks on their faces.</p><p>"Mom?!" Jay exclaimed.</p><p>"Sky!" Jessie smiled.</p><p>Skylor rushed over to the group by the door whilst Edna wandered over to the family group huddle. Jay hugged her straight away, clutching onto her shirt.</p><p>"I missed you so much," He cried.</p><p>"I missed you more," She smiled.</p><p>The family formed their group hug once again, feeling complete again. George watched as the groups celebrated their victory. He knew he couldn't live up to their friendship nor would he be able to fit in there. His job was to help them and that's what he had done. His work here was over. He smiled at the groups, remembering how lucky he was to have his family too. And with that, he returned back up the stairs and back to the city to continue with his job. Leaving his new friends behind.</p><p>Ben stood in the middle of the room awkwardly, he didn't know what to do or where to go. Did he have to leave now? Was his friendship with the team over again? Were they just using him for the mission and then go back to being enemies?</p><p>"Hey Ben," Cole called out, distracting him from his thoughts.</p><p>Ben frowned, spotting the family hug circle was broken a little and everyone was now staring at him. Cole held out his hand for Ben to take.</p><p>"Me?" Ben frowned.</p><p>"You're part of the family, right?" Cliff questioned.</p><p>Ben smiled. He never really had a family. He was the only one left from the Millers and to know that the Gordon/Walker/Bucket family wanted him made him feel so much better. Maybe he did serve a purpose after all.</p><p> </p><p>"And that's the end of the story," Jay smiled.</p><p>"What? That's the end?" Luka frowned.</p><p>Jay nodded, Nya sat beside him on the sofa.</p><p>"But we want to hear more!" Iris exclaimed.</p><p>"That's it. Nothing really happened after that. Just typical ninja stuff like training, a few baddies here and there," Jay shrugged.</p><p>"What about you and mom? What happened between you two?" Luka questioned.</p><p>"We worked things out in the end and now... we have you two fabulous beings," Nya grinned.</p><p>"That was a very... dark story," Luka stated.</p><p>"I did warn you," Jay reminded his son.</p><p>"And what about the team?" Iris wondered.</p><p>"Well, we found some new members to make up for the lost ones," Jay smiled.</p><p>"Who was on the new team?" Luka asked sweetly.</p><p>"Me, your mom, Ben, Cole, your grandma and grandpa and Jessie all made up the new team," Jay responded.</p><p>"That's so cool!" Luke exclaimed.</p><p>"The power team!" Iris giggled.</p><p>"It sure was," Jay smiled but it soon faded.</p><p>Nya sat up, "I think it's about time you two got to bed. You're up <em>way</em> past your bed time."</p><p>"Aw, come on, mom, can't we hear just one more story?" Luka wondered, using the puppy dog eyes.</p><p>"No," Nya chuckled, "And you know that the puppy dog eyes don't work on me. Your father learnt that the hard way."</p><p>Jay nodded, making both Luka and Iris giggle.</p><p>"Okay," Luka groaned, "Goodnight mom and dad."</p><p>"Goodnight, my sweeties," Nya kissed them both on the head.</p><p>Luka wandered off to his room whilst Iris hugged her father tightly. Nya watched in awe.</p><p>"I'm sorry you had to go through all that, dad," She told him, "But you're okay now, right?"</p><p>Jay smiled at his daughter, "Of course."</p><p>"Goodnight," She smiled and skipped off to her room.</p><p>Nya turned to Jay with a smile, "You okay?"</p><p>Jay nodded, "It just feels weird to recall all that, y'know?"</p><p>"Yeah... it must've been hard. But I'm proud of you," She told him and pulled him into a small hug, "You've come a long way."</p><p>"As long as I have you and our little ones, everything is perfect," Jay smiled, pulling her into a passionate kiss.</p><p> </p><p>|The End|</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>